International Women’s Day observed

International Women’s Day was observed on Wednesday across the country with the theme ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’.

Many women, social and political organisations took separate programmes to observe the day.

According to our Rajshahi correspondent’s reports, various government and non-government development organisations observed the International Women’s Day-2023 befittingly in the district with the unanimous call of freeing the womenfolk from all sorts of violence, disparity and discrimination for the overall development of the nation.

Marking the day, the district administration and the Department of Women Affairs (DWA) jointly organised a post-rally discussion meeting at the conference hall of the Human Resource Development Training Centre in Rajshahi city.

Advocate Adiba Anjum Mita, MP, addressed the meeting as chief guest, while Additional Commissioner of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Samsun Nahar spoke as a special guest with Deputy Director of Local Government Shahana Akhter Jahan in the chair.

Deputy Director of the Department of Information Nafeyala Nasrin, Local unit chairman of Jatiya Mohila Sangstha Morjina Parveen and Deputy Director of the DWA Shobnom Shirin also spoke.

The discussants unanimously termed the day’s theme as time befitting in the current perspective and wished success of all programmes of the day. In her remarks, lawmaker Anjum Mita said the present government under the dynamic and visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been working relentlessly for the development and empowerment of women.

She said the government has also attained success in the field of establishing equal rights for women side by side with generating employment opportunities for them.

Besides, the present government has taken various initiatives to create a women-friendly atmosphere in the country so that women can play an important role in boosting economic development.

Various other development and volunteer organisations, including Bangladesh Mohila Parishad (BMP), Paribartan, Barendra Unnayan Prochesta, Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA), Association for Community Development (ACD), Centre for Capacity Building and Voluntary Organisation and Ladies Organisation for Social Welfare staged a post-rally street corner meeting at Shaheb Bazar Zero Point.

Vice-chancellor of Rajshahi University Prof Golam Sabbir Sattar addressed the meeting as chief guest with local unit BMP President Kolpona Roy in the chair.

Senior Journalist Mustafizur Rahman Khan, Paribartan Director Rashed Ibne Obayed, RULFAO Director Afzal Hossain and BNWLA Member Advocate Shamima Nasrin also spoke.

Prof Golam Sabbir mentioned gender balance is the precondition to substantial and sustainable progress of the nation and it is very important to the development of the national economy.

Responsive support from the community, especially teachers, parents and leaders of influence has become a must for stopping child marriage.

Eradicating child marriage is imperative as the social menace hampers many socio-economic developments in the country.

Prof Sabbir Sattar said more community participation is needed to build a society free from child marriage as it’s a precondition to ending violence against women.

In Jhalakathi, a discussion was held at the district Shilpakala academy marking International Women’s Day 2023. Awami League Advisory Council member and 14-Party alliance coordinator and spokesperson Amir Hossain Amu, MP, spoke at the discussion as the chief guest with Deputy Commissioner Farah Gul Nijhum in the chair.

The discussion was addressed, among others, by Police Super Afruzul Haque Tutul, Women Affairs Officer Aysha Siddiqa, President of Socheton Nagorik Committee Dr Kamrunnesa Azad and Mohila Vice Chairman Ishrat Jahan Sonali.

General Secretary of district Awami League Advocate Khan Sifullah Ponir, Upazila Parishad Chairman Khan Arifur Rahman and municipality mayor Liakot Ali Talukder were also present. Earlier, a colourful procession organised by the district administration and the DWA paraded different roads in the town.

In Hili, local administration organises rallies and discussions marking the day in the town, reports our correspondent.

In Manikganj, International Women’s Day 2023 was observed in the district under the joint auspices of District Administration, DWA and Jatiya Mohila Sangstha. To mark the day, a colourful rally was brought out in the district town which paraded the main roads and ended on the collectorate premises.