We stand in full solidarity with Narir Daake Moitree Jatra, a movement championing the cause of women’s rights in Bangladesh. The movement held a March on May 16 which drew thousands of individuals from all walks of life in a full-throated expression of dissent against the discrimination and oppression which women in our country face on an everyday basis.
The movement’s demands, summarized in three points, are made in the backdrop of a renewed assault on the very notion of women’s rights in Bangladesh: The government needs to be more stern in dealing with threats to women and minority communities, an end to the practice of utilizing religion as a tool to suppress women, and to tackle the growing disinformation and misinformation being peddled against the work of the Women's Affairs Reform Commission.
Ever since the fall of the previous government, Bangladesh has seen a surge in Islamist voices championing retrograde values. The flashpoint of this phenomenon was right after the Women's Affairs Reform Commission submitted its report with 433 recommendations seeking to improve the lives of working-class and marginalized women. This report witnessed a veritable smear campaign against it with many of its key proposals having been distorted or deliberately ignored.
The interim government, while given the unenviable job of shepherding Bangladesh at a time of great upheaval and uncertainty, has consistently failed to address the growing threats to women, both privately and within the public sphere. We hope the administration takes the movement’s demands with the importance it necessitates, instead of offering its usual silence.
To say that it has been heartening to see so many people come forth in unison to recognize a long-standing social issue would be an understatement. This march is nothing if not a testament to the principles upon which the new Bangladesh is going to be built: A country where every individual, regardless of their identity and social standing, are entitled to enjoy a life of dignity and security.
