A press conference was convened to protest against remarks and actions that undermine gender equality and dignity. This event occurred on May 8, 2025, at 3:30 pm at the Tofazzal Hossain Auditorium, National Press Club, and was organized by the Social Resistance Committee.
The session was led by Dr. Fauzia Moslem, President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP), with a statement presented by Shamsun Nahar Koli, Program Manager of Campaign for Popular Education. Participants included Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori, Fouzia Khandaker Eva, Executive Director of Pragrassar, Shahnaz Sumi, Director of Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha, among others, with journalists engaging them in discussion.
The statement underscored the pivotal role women play in national, economic, and social progress, while highlighting ongoing efforts undermining their dignity and rights. Anti-equality factions are spreading misogynistic and derogatory rhetoric across political and public platforms and via social media, contravening state gender equality policies and the principle of non-discrimination regardless of religion, race, gender, clan, and ethnicity.
The Social Resistance Committee outlined several demands: the state must urgently counter misogynistic agendas and immediately bring to justice those involved in mob violence; fast-track trials for all violence against women; guarantee media freedom for precise information dissemination; bolster law enforcement to ensure women’s safety and restore order swiftly; ban the use of religion in political contexts; and create a science-based, secular, gender-sensitive, and human-rights-oriented educational framework.
Responding to inquiries, Khushi Kabir highlighted that affiliated organizations within the Social Resistance Committee actively monitor violence against women reported in the media, coordinating action during significant crises.
Fouzia Khandaker Eva noted that organized misogynistic campaigns foster societal division. She stressed their commitment to advocating for women’s equality, dignity, and rights, rather than opposing any particular system.
Shahnaz Sumi emphasized women’s constitutional right to equal opportunities, comprising half the population, and called for governance under civil rather than special religious laws aligned with the Liberation War’s ethos.
Dr. Fauzia Moslem observed that women, while respected in roles such as daughters, wives, and mothers, are often overlooked as individuals. She advocated for dismantling discriminatory legal, social, and normative practices to actualize women’s rights, discouraging the use of religion as a political tool, and urged collective action toward gender equality to improve Bangladesh’s international status.
The press conference was attended by representatives of the Social Resistance Committee and Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, alongside approximately one hundred journalists from both print and electronic media.
