International Women’s Day being observed
International Women’s Day is being observed today across the country as elsewhere in the world with a call for building a new world with equal rights for women and men.
The Ministry for Women and Children Affairs has chalked out elaborate programmes on the occasion to create mass awareness to ensure dignified life for womenfolk through establishing their rights, reports BSS.
On the eve of the day, President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages, greeting all women across the world.
In their messages, they termed the day’s theme ‘Sobai Mile Bhabo, Natun Kichu Koro/Nari-Porush Samatar, Natun Bishwa Goro’ as time befitting in the current perspective and wished success of all programmes of the day.
In his message, President Md Abdul Hamid said the present government is implementing massive programmes to prevent all kinds of violence to the women, including establishing women rights, spreading education for them and empowering women, to bring gender parity.
The womenfolk are keeping their footprints in all sectors, including politics, trade and business and job, without any restriction now, the president said.
“It is possible to change the overall scenario of the country by ensuring equal participation of women in all levels of the national development, which would help attain Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” he added.
In her message, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the Awami League government has been implementing various programmes for the last 10 years attaching priority to women empowerment and development.
Referring to different laws and policies, including National Women Development Policy 2011, for protecting women rights, the premier said, “We are working relentlessly to eliminate all kinds of discriminatory behaviors and practices to women, prevent violence against them, bring down the child marriage rate to zero, ensure equal wages for men and women in workplaces and facilitate the women entrepreneurs with separate banking and marketing systems”.
The government, she said, has also introduced maternity allowance, allowance for lactating mothers and allowances for widows-divorced, poor disabled and repressed women and maternity leave has been extended to six months with salary to ensure social security for women.
The women are now playing a vital role in different areas, including politics, judiciary, administration, education, health, armed forces and law enforcing agencies due to the time befitting and pragmatic measures of the government, Sheikh Hasina added.
In observance of the day, an exhibition of products produced by women entrepreneurs and screening of awareness documentary will be held in all district towns across the country on March 8 and 9.
Besides, a discussion is going to be held at Bangabandhu International Conference Center in the city in the morning on Saturday. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is expected to address the discussion as the chief guest. The five best Joyita (women) will be awarded in the function.
Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and all other private television channels are airing special programme while newspapers published supplements highlighting the significance of the day.
International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year. It is a focal point in the movement for women’s rights.
After the Socialist Party of America organised a Women’s Day on February 28, 1909 in New York, the 1910 International Socialist Woman’s Conference suggested a Women’s Day be held annually.
After women gained suffrage in Soviet Russia in 1917, March 8 became a national holiday there. The day was then predominantly celebrated by the socialist movement and communist countries until it was adopted in 1975 by the United Nations.
