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'Politicians' apathy negates UN charter on women's rights'

4,444 incidents of repression in last nine months in country

STAR NATIONAL DESK
Woman's rights remained a far away dream in rural Bangladesh due to lack of commitment by political leaders both in ruling and opposition parties.
There has not been any significant progress in ensuring woman's rights enshrined in documents adopted at the International Human Rights Convention and the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women(CEDAW) because political leaders are oblivious of it, speakers said at functions at Satkhita and Gaibandha yesterday.
A mechanism should be evolved to ensure accountability of our politicians regarding women's rights, they said.
Separate programmes were organised in the districts in observance of the World Rural Women's Day yesterday.
This year's theme of the day was 'Accountability of Politicians in Ensuring Rights of Rural Women.
The proposal to observe World Rural Women Day was approved in the fourth UN World Women Conference, held in Beijing in 1995. Nearly 100 countries have been observing the day since l997.
Our Satkhira Correspondent reports: Speakers at a workshop here yesterday called for ensuring accountability of political leaders both in the ruling and opposition parties to implement the declarations adopted at the International Human Rights Convention and the Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women(CEDAW) regarding woman's rights in rural areas in Bangladesh.
The workshop on women's rights as enshrined in the UN conventions was organised jointly by the Satkhira district World Rural Woman's Day Observation Committee, and two NGOs--AictionAID Bangladesh and SODESH.
It was held at the Officers Club in the town with Mariam Mannan in the chair. Salma Begum, wife of Satkhira Deputy commissioner, was the chief guest while former lawmaker Snigdha Haque and Mrs Kaniz Fatema were
special guests.
It was addressed by, among others, The Daily Star Correspondent Prof Abu Ahmed, lawyers Rifat Amin, Ferdousi Ara Lucy, Farida Akhtar Banu and Safia Karim, Jelena Chowdhury, Monzur Hossain, Pradip Mondal and Madhab Chandra Dutta.
As repression on women starts within the family, it should be resisted there by changing attitude of family members, they said.
They urged all irrespective of male and female members of a family to come forward to resist violence against women at homes.
Women are treated unequally in all walks of life-- access to health, training for jobs and education. Moreover, there are some invisible barriers due to social taboos, they said.
Women still continued to be the poorest of the poor. Their job opportunities are limited and they are also paid less than man for the same kind of work.
They urged women to unite to realise their rights
Our Gaibandha Correspondent reports: The declarations adopted at the UN conventions are still in papers in Bangladesh due to lack of commit-ment by political leaders. This was stated at a press conference organised in observance of the World Rural Women's Day yesterday.
Political leaders should be made aware that primarily it is their responsibility to ensure woman's rights in their respective areas, they said.
The World Rural Women Day Celebration Committee in Gaibandha organised a press conference, held at Gaibandha press.
Speakers at the press conference also highlighted the nature and incidence of violence against women in rural Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is in the third position as regards women repression in the world, they said quoting from the UN Human Development.
Quoting a report by the Bangladesh Mohila Parishad, it was stated at the press conference that 20,134 incidents of repression on woman took place in Bangladesh from l997 to 2003.
Against this, 4,444 such incidents took place only in the last nine months, which exceeded all previous records, they said.
The speakers also quoted a report by the Bangladesh National Lawyer's Association to say that 5,207 incidents
of women repression took place all over the country in 2003. In 2004, a total of 335 women were killed and 412 were injured due to repression.
Besides, 908 women were raped, 37 killed for dowry, 34 sustained acid burn and 92 committed suicide following continued repression.
According to Education Watch, an NGO, literacy rate among men and women in Bangladesh is 47.6 and 35.6 per cent respectively.
The press conference was addressed by, among others, Monwara Talukder, president of the observance committee and Ataur Rahman, its secretary.
They also highlighted different forms of repression on women, their social deprivation and response from local political leadership.
Rural women in Bangladesh play a significant role in maintaining the family and generating income but they are neglected, they said.
A significant portion of the national economy is dependent on women's labour but there is no comprehensive policy for their development, they said.