Women's political advancement still very slow
Speakers tell seminar
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad General Secretary Maleka Banu addresses a seminar at the National Press Club in the city yesterday. On her right is Parishad President Ayesha Khanam and on her left is Shagufta Yeasmin.Photo: STAR
Women's political advancement is still very sluggish and media can play an important role in promoting women's political empowerment, speakers at a seminar said yesterday. Titled 'Election, women representatives and the role of media,' the speakers at the seminar threw the light on the women's political situation in the country and the obstacles that slow down their political empowerment. Bangladesh Mahila Parishad organised the seminar at the National Press Club in the city prior to the city corporation election scheduled to be held on August 4. While speaking at the seminar, General Secretary of the parishad Maleka Banu said the marginal state of the women in politics becomes vivid once again during the election. Kazi Sufia Akhter of the parishad said a total of 68 women have submitted nomination papers for mayoral posts in four city corporations, while some 1,105 women have submitted the papers for the posts of woman counsellors in both general and reserved seats. It is positive that the women who succeeded in winning the reserved seats in the previous election have been competing for the general seats this time, she added. “Excepting the 45 women in the reserved seats in 8th national parliament, a total of 165 were elected indirectly for the reserved seats from the 1st to 7th national parliamentary elections while 33 were elected in general seats,” she said, adding that it is a matter of sorrow that very few people know about them as they are not exposed in the media to a considerable extent. The speakers said mass media should bring to light the identities of the women candidates and at the same time their views on different socio-political issues should be highlighted in the media that would further help the voters to decide for whom they would cast their votes. They further said that women voters cast 50 to 80 percent votes in the previous national election in many districts and if we want to increase it up to 100 percent, media should launch a massive awareness campaign. Presided over by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Ayesha Khanam, the seminar was attended by Chief Adviser of ATN Bangla Saiful Bari, Joint Editor of the Prothom Alo Abdul Quayyum, Senior Executive of Programme Management, Ekushey Television Anjan Roy, former lawmaker Meher Afroz Chumki, Shagufta Yeasmin and Ward Commissioner Shirin Rukhsana.
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