Women have been playing a crucial role in tackling the challenges of Covid-19 in Bangladesh, as most frontline health workers are female, speakers said at the concluding ceremony of an international e-conference held on Wednesday.
The Dhaka University Department of Women and Gender Studies organized the two day virtual conference in association with Livelihoods Improvement of Urban Poor Communities (LIUPC), a project by UNDP Bangladesh and Urban Development Journalists Forum Bangladesh (UDJFB).
Dr ASM Maksud Kamal, pro vice-chancellor of DU, said women should be appreciated for their integral part in containing the coronavirus.
“About 94% of nurses are female, and 90% of health workers are also female. Women are the real frontliners,” he added.
“Women have already proven their leadership in many sectors and it is now proven that they do better in overcoming challenges during major disasters, such as the coronavirus pandemic.
“The government has been planning to create an equal job market. Once it is possible, GDP growth will increase by 27% in Bangladesh,” the pro-VC further said.
Professor Mahfuza Khanam, president of the Asiatic Society, Bangladesh, said: “Women should move forward with overcoming difficulties in society.”
Dr Sanzida Akhter, chairperson of the DU Department of Women and Gender Studies, presided over the concluding ceremony while Dr Nazmunnessa Mahtab, honorary professor of the department, and Shohel Mamun, general secretary of UDJFB, also addressed the conference.
Apart from DU faculty members, academia from the University of Massachusetts in the US, Asian Institute of Technology in Thailand, University of Ottawa in Canada, and Jawarlal Nehru University in India took part in the event.
Representatives from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office at the British High Commission Dhaka and UNDP Bangladesh were also participants in the academic session of the conference.
