In a landmark call for gender justice, the Women Affairs Reform Commission on Saturday urged sweeping amendments to Bangladesh’s Constitution and the adoption of a single Uniform Family Code to supplant religion‑based personal laws.
Led by activist Shireen Parveen Huq, the 10‑member panel presented its comprehensive report to Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna, where Prof Yunus pressed for immediate implementation of the Commission’s most urgent reforms.
Constitutional shortcomings
The report highlights a host of constitutional shortcomings.
Equality and non‑discrimination provisions in Articles 19, 27, 28 and 29, while affirming broad principles, lack enforceability and clear gender focus, allowing religion‑based personal laws to override them.
Article 28(3)’s provision for “special measures” for women has too often been applied tokenistically, without delivering substantive equality in family law, property rights or guardianship.
Article 42’s guarantee of the right to property fails to remedy the systematic exclusion of women—especially under religious inheritance rules—from land and asset ownership. Moreover, no article in the Constitution guarantees equal rights in marriage, divorce, guardianship or inheritance, leaving a legal vacuum exploited by discriminatory personal laws.
To give these promises practical legal force, the Commission recommends enacting a Discrimination Elimination Act that would ensure no law—religious or civil—can contradict the constitutional promise of equality and would create clear pathways to challenge discriminatory practices and institutional inaction.
Building on these findings, the Commission calls for full‑scale amendments to enshrine explicit, enforceable gender equality guarantees in the Constitution, alongside withdrawal of Bangladesh’s two reservations to the CEDAW Convention and ratification of ILO Conventions 189 and 190 to uphold international standards on domestic worker rights and the prevention of workplace violence and harassment.
To guarantee that rights gains are protected over time, the Commission calls for the establishment of a permanent, autonomous National Women’s Commission. Empowered by statute, this body would monitor government performance on women’s issues, investigate rights violations, advise on policy, and oversee specialized courts and police units for gender‑based violence cases. It would also coordinate the expansion of One‑Stop Crisis Centers across every district and ensure survivors receive legal aid, witness protection, and expedited judicial proceedings.
Discussions with stakeholders
Formed in November 2024, the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission executed a rigorous consultative process, holding 43 internal meetings and 39 sessions with marginalized groups including indigenous women, garment workers, domestic laborers and sexual minorities. Nine inter‑commission exchanges deepened dialogue across sectors. Based on these interactions, the report organizes its recommendations into three tiers: corrective measures for immediate action by the current government; strategic initiatives for the next elected administration; and long‑range aspirations reflecting the broader goals of Bangladesh’s women’s movement.
Highlighting the need for gender‑responsive governance, the report urges that all ministries adopt gender‑responsive budgeting and planning mechanisms. In particular, it recommends elevating the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs by appointing a full‑time minister, expanding its mandate to include units on gender‑based violence, inclusive planning and adolescent development, and placing dedicated gender focal points within each ministry to integrate women’s concerns into every stage of policy formulation and execution.
Parliament expansion
Addressing political representation, the Commission emphasizes that true parity requires structural reforms. It envisions a Parliament expanded to 600 seats, with half directly elected by women, and a “zipper system” alternating male and female candidates on party lists to ensure balanced slates. It also insists on at least one‑third women’s representation in all tiers of local government, including leadership roles such as mayors, upazila chairpersons and union parishad chairs.
On economic empowerment, the report highlights the overrepresentation of women in low‑paid, informal sectors and recommends legal guarantees for equal pay for equal work, safe working conditions and enhanced maternity protections. It calls for measures to secure women’s land, housing and resource ownership through legislative changes and incentive programmes, and for vocational training centres in every upazila focused on growth industries such as information and communications technology, renewable energy and care services.
Recognizing that education and health are vital to women’s autonomy, the Commission proposes a gender‑sensitive revision of the national curriculum alongside the introduction of comprehensive sex education in schools. It urges the government to provide free menstrual hygiene products in schools and slum areas, and to expand access to maternal health care, family planning and safe abortion services, with tailored support for marginalized populations including trans women and sex workers.
Finally, the report addresses women’s unique vulnerabilities during crises, calling for gender‑inclusive disaster preparedness plans and targeted climate‑resilience programmes for coastal and flood‑prone communities. It recommends policy incentives to promote positive portrayals of women in media and culture, and penalties for content that reinforces harmful stereotypes.
“We should implement the recommendations that are immediately actionable, and through this work set an example for other countries around the world,” said Prof Yunus, stressing that true gender justice in Bangladesh will signal leadership on women’s rights far beyond the nation’s borders. He has directed the National Consensus Commission to engage political parties in carrying forward these reforms and to ensure the report’s findings are disseminated widely—“printed like a textbook” and made accessible to all citizens.
Those present at the handing‑over ceremony included Mahin Sultan of the Brac Institute of Governance and Development; Fouzia Karim Firoz of the National Women Lawyers Association; Kalpana Akhter of the Garments and Industrial Workers Federation; women’s health expert Halida Hanum Akhter; Sumaiya Islam of Bangladesh Nari Sramik Kendra; former NHRC member Nirupa Dewan; former ADB adviser Ferdousi Sultana; and student representative Nishita Zaman Niha.