International Day of Families
Husband-wife mutual respect can end familial violence
Speakers opine at discussion
Mutual respect between husband and wife is more important than promulgating laws to end violence against women, said speakers at a discussion on familial violence against women.
Observing the International Day of Families yesterday, the programme was organised under this year's theme 'Ensuring work-family balance' in the capital's Agargaon.
“Our own cultural values and traditions uphold mutual respect between husband and wife and this is sufficient to end all violence and discrimination against women,” Social Welfare Ministry Secretary Ranjit Kumar Biswas said while addressing the programme as the chief guest.
He also thanked the Bangladeshi mothers for sustaining well-balanced families.
The event was jointly organised by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Protecting Human Rights (PHR) programme by Plan Bangladesh and Bangladesh National Women Lawyers' Association (BNWLA).
Family Violence (prevention and protection) Act 2010 must be successfully implemented to end the existing violence against housewives and working women, said BNWLA Executive Director Advocate Salma Ali.
The discussants said women, regardless of their professions, must be respected for their contributions to the family and society and granted maternity leave at work so that they could balance their work with family.
Television actor Mir Sabbir particularly focused on women's portrayal in the media, saying, “More constructive media programmes should be produced to show people family values, respect toward women and old parents.”
However, these days, foreign television programmes are showing families battling, parents getting divorce or women and their mothers-in-law conflicting, he said.
Deputy Secretary of law and justice division of Law Ministry Mostafizur Rahman, television actress Farzana Chumki, artists Khalid Hassan Mithu and Kanak Chapa Chakma also addressed the programme.
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