The National Council Meeting of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) was held on 26- 27 April, 2024, at the Multipurpose Auditorium of the Sheikh Hasina Parbatya Chattogram Complex in Dhaka. The event aimed to eliminate discrimination against women, build a strong women’s movement.” The program was organized by the Organization Sub-Committee, Central Committee of BMP.
The meeting was presided over by Dr. Fauzia Moslem, President of BMP while The honorable State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Simeen Hussain Rimi, MP, was present as the chief guest. Dr. Tania Haque, Professor of Women and Gender Studies Department at Dhaka University, and Rehana Khan, Senior Program Officer at the Embassy of Sweden were present as special guests.
National Council is the highest Policy making body of the organization in between two conferences. National Council meeting is organized for internal annual planning and evaluation. A total of 500 participants including 350 national council members from 59 district branches were present in this year’s National Council meeting. National Council report was published and distributed among the participants.
The inaugural ceremony featured the hoisting of national and organizational flags, with national anthem performed by Suraiya Parveen, dance and music Secretary of Udichi Shilpi Gosthi and her team. Renowned Rabindra Sangeet singer Susmita Ahmed and Sharmin Sathi Moyna also performed at the inaugural ceremony. Vice-president Rekha Chowdhury read out the condolences message, and a minute of silence was observed to honor departed individuals. Vice-president Dr. Makhduma Nargis paid tribute to former president Hena Das on her birth centenary.
The Inaugural ceremony was conducted by Umme Salma Begum, Organizing Secretary, Central Committee.
In the opening session, the welcome speech was delivered by General Secretary of BMP, Maleka Banu. she said, according to the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap 2023 report, a review of the situation of gender equality in the global context has shown that many countries have not yet reduced the disparity between men and women. As a result of women’s representation at the policy-making level of the government of Bangladesh for a long time, the position of Bangladesh in political empowerment is very high. But the position of women in decision-making is still lagging behind. In such a situation, the women’s movement’s long-standing advocacy has lagged behind the success at the policy-making level in changing discriminatory attitudes towards women. He urged the counselors present to make the women’s movement relevant and broad for the new century.
The State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Simeen Hussain Rimi, MP, talked about the importance of protecting human rights by addressing violence against women, promoting patriotism, and spreading awareness about human values. She mentioned that violence against women is common in schools and stressed the need to uphold human values despite economic and technological progress. She called for a focus on human development at both national and international levels and highlighted the importance of discussing humanity within the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad. She also emphasized the need for stability and understanding in dealing with current challenges and stressed the importance of creating educated and skilled individuals, enforcing laws against violence towards women, and expanding research areas to develop a smarter Bangladesh.
Dr. Tania Hossain, professor at Dhaka University’s Women and Gender Studies Department, highlighted the role of the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad in preventing violence against women. She emphasized empowering women through information technology and addressing gender disparities in investments to promote women’s empowerment and human development.
Rahana Khan, Senior Program Officer at the Embassy of Sweden, highlighted the Swedish government’s commitment to achieving gender equality and sustainable development goals as its 5th goal. She shared her experiences from field visits to the Satkhira district branch of the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, where women are addressing climate challenges with bravery and innovation. The district branch’s zero-tolerance policy towards violence against women is a key component of their initiatives. She emphasized the importance of addressing current challenges faced by women in addition to empowering them.
Dr. Fauzia Moslem, President of BMP, talked about how women face unfair treatment in families, society, and the law. She said we need leaders who include everyone, involve young people, and accept differences to end these unfair treatments. Dr. Fauzia Moslem also said it’s important for government groups and non-government women’s organizations to work together to stop problems like child marriage. She supported protecting women’s rights and uniting women’s groups to make sure plans are put into action effectively.
After the opening session, the 1st working session was held. Lakshmi Chakraborty, vice-president of the central committee of the organization, presented the organizational condolence proposal in the session. The report of the central committee was presented by the joint general secretary of the organization. Masuda Rehana Begum, General Secretary’s report was presented by Maleka Banu, General Secretary of the organization. Finance Secretary Dil Afroz Begum presented the income and expenditure account of the Central Committee. The 1st working session was conducted by Central Committee Member and General Secretary of Brahmanbaria District Sathi Chowdhury.
The 2nd working session was followed by thematic discussion by different sections of participant on few fixed issues. Five resource persons from different sectors facilitated the discussions are follows.
• Equal Rights of Women in Property: Discrimination against Women
• Women’s Participation in Decision Making: Discrimination against Women
• Participation of Women in National Labor Markets: Discrimination against Women
• Discrimination and Violence Against Women: Communalism and Inhibitory Social Practices
• Empowering Women’s Movements: Inclusive Organizations
National Council members actively participated in five thematic discussions and they gave their views, opinions and recommendations for future planning based on their evaluation and identified challenges.
Overall aspects and findings of thematic sessions were discussed in this session by Shima Moslem, joint General Secretary of BMP. The 2nd working session was conducted by Rina Ahmed, Training, Research & Library Secretary of the Central Committee.
The 3rd session was the concluding session of the program. Movement Secretary of Central Committee Rabeya Khatun Shanti presented general proposals in the beginning of this working session. Joint General Secretary Adv. Masuda Rehana Begum discussed about amendment of Declaration & Constitution of the organization. Finally, General Secretary of BMP, Maleka Banu discussed overall issues of present women movement. 2 days National Council Meeting was ended by the concluding speech of Dr. Fauzia Moslem, President of BMP.
The 3rd working session was conducted by Central Committee Member and General Secretary of Dhaka City Committee Rehana Yunus.
