Violence against women remains a major barrier to real economic empowerment, speakers said at a roundtable titled “Prospects and Challenges of Women’s Economic Empowerment: Gender-responsive Budget” held at the CIRDAP auditorium in Dhaka on Tuesday, organized by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.
The session was chaired by the organization’s president Dr Fouzia Moslem. She said women’s economic independence is essential for ensuring human rights, but violence continues to be a key obstacle. She also called for the continuation of One-Stop Crisis Centre (OCC) services and stressed that women’s property rights and inheritance issues must be reflected in the national budget.
Economist Dr Selim Jahan said no one can empower women alone, noting that families, society and the state must create an enabling environment. He said real empowerment requires women’s control over resources, participation in decision-making and personal security, adding that economic empowerment cannot be separated from social and political empowerment.
Additional Secretary of the Planning Division Dr Sadia Sharmin said challenges in women’s empowerment must be identified first, followed by effective policy responses. She stressed equal opportunities in the labour market, sector-based development and stronger community-level monitoring.
Panel discussants included Professor Sharmind Neelormi of Jahangirnagar University; Dr Atonu Rabbani, Research Director (GED) at the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) and Professor of Economics at Dhaka University; Dr Azreen Karim, Senior Research Fellow at BIDS; Sabina Parvin, social development specialist at World Bank Bangladesh; Pritilata Khandaker Haque, Research Associate at Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD); and Eshrat Sharmin, deputy director at South Asian Network on Economic Modelling (SANEM).
The discussants said gender-responsive budgeting must go beyond allocations and focus on whether resources actually reach women and create impact. They emphasised increasing women’s participation in higher education and better-paying jobs, ensuring safe and inclusive workplaces, and addressing gender-based violence and climate change impacts.
They also called for public disclosure of gender budget tracking and greater investment in human development and skills.
General Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Maleka Banu said women continue to face structural barriers, including lack of skills, wage inequality, limited access to resources and social constraints. She called for increased investment in education and technology, fair wages and safe working conditions.
The event was moderated by Rabeya Khatun Shanti, organizing secretary of the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Movement Subcommittee.
