Editorial
Women finding their places
Much more needs to be done
International Women's Day was observed in the country on Friday in what can truly be called a new ambience. As a beginning, one must take into account the sheer spirit and courage demonstrated by Bangladesh's women when they came together at Shahbagh not only to express their solidarity with the rest of the nation in upholding the principles of the Liberation War but also to make it clear that today they are a force to be reckoned with. That they are now getting empowered can be seen through their increasing participation in such vital areas as the armed forces and the police. At this point of time, there are as many as 5,000 women in the police service, which is a good improvement from the figures for 1974, 714 to be precise, when women first began to be taken into the service.
Of course, no one is suggesting that everything is fine where women's empowerment is concerned. But the reality of women making their way into other areas of national activity, such as diplomacy and the civil service, cannot be ignored. Till now, we have had a good number of women making it to the position of ambassador abroad; and the number of senior civil servants, from the position of joint secretary to secretary, has been rising to our satisfaction. Add to that those women who have come into entrepreneurship, in its various stages, over the years. And let us not forget the huge numbers of women who have made teaching at various levels their profession. What you then have is a picture that gladdens the heart.
Yet there is hardly any reason for complacence, for the simple reason that women in very large numbers are still the target of discrimination in a myriad ways. In the interior of the country and sometimes even in urban areas, they yet suffer on the matter of dowry. There are fairly regular reports of how they are subjected to fatwa imposed by illiterate preachers and humiliated in society. In the workplace, sexual harassment remains a danger for many women, who often do not complain for reasons of economic vulnerability. These are some of the big loopholes that need plugging if International Women's Day has to have full, proper meaning in Bangladesh.
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