Almost half of the voters in this year’s Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (Ducsu) election are women. Yet their voices — and their demands — have been ignored for decades. As the September 9 election approaches, the question looms: will the new leaders finally take women’s concerns seriously, or will they remain just another set of campaign promises?
“We don’t just want promises; we want real action that will make our campus safer and more supportive for female students,” said Nazifa Tasnim, a resident student of Ruqayyah Hall.
For students like Mukta Das from Shamsunnahar Hall, the frustration is not abstract but daily lived reality. “Big buildings have been built for officers and staff, but we are sharing one small bed with two students. Even though the system of gonoroom is gone, still 16 seats are allotted in one room. Every year, the number of female students increases, but there is no new accommodation available. Through the DUCSU election, I want leaders who will work to solve this housing crisis.”
These grievances are not new. For decades, Dhaka University’s female students — nearly half the campus population — have faced overcrowded dorms, unsafe commutes, poor food, and neglect in healthcare and counseling. Each election cycle, candidates flood the halls with slogans, processions, and pledges. Yet the problems persist.
This year, after a six-year gap, the campus is alive again with banners, rallies, and social media campaigns. Candidates have begun the familiar routine of visiting halls and asking students about their needs. But female voters are already clear: housing, food, transport, safety, and health are not negotiable.
Take transport, for instance. Non-residential student Nabila Rahim described the ordeal of getting to campus: “Often I don’t get a university bus on time. Sometimes during exams or classes, I arrive late. When there are rallies or gatherings at Suhrawardy Udyan or nearby, the buses get delayed even more. We don’t want to suffer from such transport problems.”
For students at Bangamata Sheikh Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall and Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitree Hall, both far from the main campus, the concerns are layered: poor food quality, higher rickshaw fares, inadequate shuttle buses, and safety risks at night. As one student put it: “Security exists inside the halls but not on the way from Nilkhet to the gates.”
Safety is not a minor issue. “There is no proper security for female students on campus,” said Sumaiya Islam Rani of Sufia Kamal Hall. “Along with transport problems, many homeless people and mentally ill persons stay on the roadsides, and often we face sexual harassment and eve-teasing. Because of the administration’s negligence, we have to suffer these problems. I want leaders who will ensure that female students can move freely and safely on campus.”
The gaps extend beyond housing and transport. Female students complain of overpriced and low-nutrition food, little access to dormitories for non-residential girls, careless treatment at the medical center, and no meaningful mental health counseling.
One non-residential student wishing to be anonymous, said: “Campus food shops give little food with almost no nutrition but charge high prices. Non-residential girls are not allowed inside the halls, so we often have to skip lunch. I will vote for the leader who can improve food quality and prices, and allow us to enter halls by showing student ID card.”
The numbers are clear: of the 39,775 eligible voters in Dussu 2025, 18,902 are female. Ruqayyah Hall alone has more than 5,600 registered voters — a decisive bloc by any measure.
And yet, despite this political weight, women’s voices at Dhaka University remain marginalized. Their issues are treated as “secondary” compared to the spectacle of rallies and grandstanding. The halls keep overflowing, the buses keep breaking down, and the harassment continues unchecked.
This election could change that. If candidates truly hope to represent the student body, they cannot afford to dismiss half of it. Female students have made their priorities unmistakably clear: safe halls, reliable transport, affordable food, proper healthcare, and equal participation.
The question now is whether Ducsu’s incoming leaders will rise above rhetoric and deliver real change — or whether women will once again be told to wait.
