To wage a new women rights movement, rights activists should listen to and address new ideas coming from women from all walks of life, women’s rights activists have said at a discussion.
The remarks came at a discussion organized by Nari Grontho Probortona and Unnayan Bikalper Nitinirdharoni Gobeshona (UBINIG) on the women’s rights movement at Krishibid Institution Bangladesh on Sunday.
Farida Akhter, executive director of UBINIG and co-convener of Shasthya Andolon, said that to build a strong women’s rights movement in the future, activists must accept ideas like bodily integrity and religious tolerance.
Artiste Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed said she had to break so many barriers to become what she is today because of her gender.
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“I always wanted to express myself through art. However, the path was not easy for me. My family and in-laws were not supportive of my career choice because I am a woman,” she said.
Nawshaba became an actor and artiste eventually but her career went through a drastic change when she was arrested in a case filed under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act during the road safety protest in 2018.
“Right now, I feel I am being discriminated against in terms of pay and roles in movies because of that incident,” she said.
Rina Roy, an executive member of Naripokkho, said women need agency over their body and therefore the “My Body My Rights” movement should be at the forefront.
Syeda Anonna Rahman, from Work for Better Bangladesh, said women bear the brunt of religious extremism and intolerance.
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“The state will never be ready to bring changes until we prepare the state. The practice of burning a widow was a norm here but the state had to ban this long-standing tradition,” she said.
Writer Rawshan Ara Mukta said female poets are not celebrated as much as male poets in Bangladesh.
Journalist Rita Bhowmick said if a woman sets her mind on something, she would be unstoppable.