International Women’s Day!
Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN), a global network of non-resident Bangladeshis, greets all its female members, all the women of Bangladesh , and also women elsewhere in the world, on the occasion of the International Women’s Day.
The Day originated with thousands of working women in New York taking to streets to protest against inequitable wages and sexual harassment, and to demand 12 hour working day. In 1910 about 100 women delegates representing 17 countries decided to initiate an International Women’s Day at the International Conference of Socialist Women in Copenhagen , and since then the international community has been observing March 8 as a day of solidarity with women and their struggle for equality. The United Nations declared 1975 as the International Women’s Year on March 8.
Women in Bangladesh have made some progress in the areas of access to education and credit. However, overall the situation still remains unequal and unsatisfactory. Frequent reports of mistreatment of young women working in garments factories bear testimony to that reality, as do the incidents of killing and maiming of women over dowry issues.
Following the 1996 Beijing conference on women the government of Bangladesh in 1997 adopted the National Policy on Women promoting rights of women in different areas. However, the government in 2004 cancelled that policy. The caretaker government tried to adopt a modified version of the 1997 policy, but was thwarted by religious fundamentalist forces of the country.
On this March 8 of 2009, BEN hopes that renewed attempt will be made to adopt a national policy on women acceptable to the women of the country and their representative organizations. BEN also notes that adoption of policy, while important is not the panacea. BEN therefore urges the women to organize themselves and wage a sustained campaign to achieve and protect their legitimate rights.
BEN values highly the participation in its work by its female members. BEN hopes that their participation will increase further in the future. BEN also expects the women of Bangladesh to come forward to play an active role in the movement to save Bangladesh’s environment.
