Men lend their voice to women's rights

With lighted candles in hand, men line up after a rally at Shaheed Abdur Razzak Park in Satkhira town on Friday to say 'no' to violence and discrimination against women. PHOTO: STAR

Several hundred males including youths attended a rally at the Shaheed Minar at Shaheed Abdur Razzak Park in the town on Friday and lined up with candles in hand to say 'no' to violence against women and social discrimination. The participants included teachers, journalists, government officials, lawyers and the elite of the town.

The programme was organised by Satkhira Unnayan Network, a combine of ten NGOs, in observance of the International Women's Day.

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Chaired by Principal Asit Kumar Majumdar, the rally was addressed by, among others, journalist Prof. Abu Ahmed, Nurul Huda, Tazibur Rahman, Farida Akhtar Banu, Dilip Kumar Dev and Prof. Pabitra Mohon Das.

They called for launching social movement to eliminate violence against women and ensure equal rights in different professions.

As repression on women and violation of their rights start from family, these should be stopped there first, they said and urged male counterarts to change their attitude.

Women never enjoy equal rights in marriage, jobs and owning family property under the Muslim Family Code. This should be changed, they said.

Domestic violence should not be considered a personal or a family matter. Women should be considered as equal partners in decision-making at family level, they said.

Women's empowerment is a pre-requisite to protect their rights they said and urged NGOs and government agencies to take steps for their education and employment.

The theme of this year's International Women's Day was 'Women in Decision Making: Meeting Challenges, Creating Change'.