The Crime Desk: Today March 8 is International Women’s Day. The day is also being celebrated in Bangladesh by organizing various events under the theme of ‘Women’s equal rights, investment to advance opportunities’. On the occasion of the day, President Md. Sahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave separate messages. The President said in his speech that the government is formulating and implementing the National Women’s Policy 2011 as a development planning policy and action strategy with the aim of equal rights, equal opportunities, and fair development for Bangladesh women. Besides, various laws have been enacted, which will be a milestone in the development and empowerment of women in Bangladesh.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said in her speech that the Awami League is consistently working towards ensuring equal participation of men and women in every work after receiving the responsibility of running the state. However, despite all these efforts, news of women’s torture and deprivation comes into the media every day. According to the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) Sample Vital Statistics-2022, the rate of child marriage has increased in the country. The incidence of child marriage among girls below the age of 15 has increased by nearly 50 percent over the previous year. At the same time, the under-five mortality rate has increased by 2.68 percent. According to the government, the rate of violence against women is also high. According to a Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics (BBS) survey, 87 percent of women are subjected to some form of abuse by their husbands. According to a UN special report, 60 percent of married women in Bangladesh are abused by their husbands, their families, or both at some point in their lives. Women’s leaders believe that equal rights to property can change the scenario of women’s oppression.
Women’s Day How: On March 8, 1857, women workers in New York’s needle factories began a bloody struggle for a reduction in the daily work from 16 to eight hours and fair wages. In the United States in 1908, one and a half thousand women workers in clothing and textile factories protested for the right to work for eight hours. In 1910, German socialist leader Clara Zetkin called for International Women’s Day to be celebrated on March 8. The United Nations recognized this day as International Women’s Day in 1974.
Programme: On the occasion of the day, the main program organized by the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs will be held at the Osmani Smriti Auditorium at 10 a.m. on Friday morning. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be the chief guest on the occasion. State Minister for Women and Child Affairs Simin Hossain Rimi will be the chief guest at the Krishibid Institute program at 4:30 pm.
On this occasion, the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad rally will be held at Central Shahid Minar at 4 PM, organized by the Social Prevention Committee. A cultural program will be organized at Rabindra Sarovar in the Dhanmondi Lake area from 4:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. as part of the year-long program ‘Mora Aakash Moth Bhadraheen’ to mark the 40th anniversary of Nari Paksha. At the initiative of the National Women’s Alliance Central Committee, the discussion meeting will be held at Bangabandhu Avenue in the auditorium of Col. Taher at the Jasad Central Office. The National Garment Workers’ Federation’s organized women’s labor procession will be held at 11 a.m. from the Paltan intersection. The Disability Welfare Society (DWS) and the National Council of Disabled Women (NCDW) will organize a joint discussion at 9 a.m. at CRP Hall, Mirpur 14.
