Dear Visitors,

Please read this petition regarding What We Need to Achieve Millennium Development Goals for Women in Bangladesh. If you agree then please sign and widely circulate it as we really need as many signatures as possible.

Here is the petition link:  http://www.petitiononline.com/bnpsunmc/petition.html

WE DEMAND

• Proper measure to improve maternal health through reactivating the community clinic programme with adequate physicians and health workers
• Prevention of early marriage and early child bearing
• Improvement of family planning services
• Presence of skilled birth attendant during home delivery
• Elimination of disparity of health services between rich and poor and between urban & rural areas
• Assurance of access to health services in hard to reach areas
• Proper measures to reduce drop out rate of girls students from school
• Secured and gender-friendly environment in educational institutions and workplace
• Recognition of women labourer with abolishing wage discrimination in agricultural and other informal sectors
• Increase of minimum wage in RMG sector
• Reform of discriminatory laws against women, particularly the inheritance law as pledged by Bangladesh Awami League in its election manifesto

With Regards

Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS)

সম্প্রতি দৈনিক প্রথম আলোতে প্রকাশিত বিএনপিএস-এর নিয়োগ বিজ্ঞপ্তিটির বিস্তারিত বিবরণ জানতে নিচের বোতামে চাপ দিন। কম্পিউটারে পিডিএফ সফটওয়্যার ইনস্টল করা না থাকলে বিজ্ঞাপনটি দেখা যাবে না।

BNPS Job Vacancies

Rokeya Kabir, the Executive Director of BNPS is answering a question comes from the audience

BNPS continues its gender budget campaign to eliminate gender discrimination and achieve the Millennium Development Goals related to gender equity and reduce maternal mortality. In a post-budget press conference BNPS demanded to dedicate 7 percent of GDP in national budget for women’s advancement. Despite this common demand from women’s movement budget declared a week ago showed only an obscure 4.5 percent allocation for women.

As for the MDG 2 is concerned, BNPS budget analysis observed that allocation to prevent drop out of girls student at primary level, which is almost two times higher than boys, is also absent in the proposed  budget. In spite of highest allocation for education sector the proposed budget failed to fulfill government’s commitment to increase the proportion of GDP for education sector from its current level of 2.4 to 6 percent.

Briefing paper circulated in the press conference also mentioned that childhood marriage, lack of awareness, lack of trained birth attendance, major causes of high maternal mortality, related to MDG 5, is also unaddressed in the proposed budget. The press conference informed that without taking adequate and proper steps it would be impossible for the government to decrease maternal mortality to 144 and ensure universal access to reproductive health by 2015. The millennium development goal 5 would be impossible to achieve with ensuring the service of trained birth attendants; availability of community clinics, physicians, nurses and medicines.

Focus of current year’s gender budget campaign is to identify the gaps and suggest measures required to achieve MDGs 3 and 5. The campaign titled ‘National Budget for Achieving MDG for Women’ was orchestrated in three steps: 1. pre-bedget seminar to disseminate the findings on the current status, 2. submission of pre-budget recommendations, and 3. post-budget analysis through press conference at the national press club, Dhaka, on June 17, 2010.

Ms. Rokeya Kabir, executive director of BNPS delivered the introductory note about the campaign and its objectives. Dr. Maleka Begum, a faculty member of the Department of Gender Studies of the Dhaka University;  Dr. Pratima Paul-Majumder, senior research fellow of BIDS; Ms. Monish Biswas of UN Millennium Campaign, Dr. Rokeya Khatun, National Gender Equality Specialist of SCOPE Project (C&AG office, GoB) were present in the event and shared their expert opinions. Ms. Shahnaz Sumi, deputy director of BNPS presented the briefing paper.

For reading and watching more, please click following links:

Prothom Alo

Ittefaq

Kaler Kantha

Daily Destiny

ATN Bangla

My TV

ABC Radio

Biannual Report of BNPS

Year 2007-2009

The report is yet to be published. The PDF version of this report is available here.

Annual Report of BNPS

Year 2001

If you want to get full report in PDF, please click here.

Honorable Deputy Speaker of parliament is sharing his opinion on maternal mortality

Both govt. and opposition’s women Members of Parliament have pledged to mount up their voice to take proper budgetary actions to halt maternal mortality in country. They expressed their concern in an opinion sharing meeting styled ‘Reflection of Millennium Development Goal in national Budget’ organised by Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha on 5^th June at a restaurant at Dhanmandi in city. Deputy speaker of parliament Colonel (Rtd.) Sawkat Ali, Hasanul Huq Inu MP, Project Director of Community Health Clinic Project Dr. Makhduma Nargis Ratna, former president of Bangladesh Medical Association Dr. Rashid E Mahbub were presented at the sharing including thirteen women MPs from Awami League and BNP.

Despite significant progress in decreasing poverty gap, increasing primary school enrollment with attaining gender parity, reducing child and infant morality rates over the past three decades, the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Bangladesh is still one of the highest rates in the world.

Rokeya Kabir informed the people’s representatives and policy makers that each year 351 women die in 100,000 delivery process. These complications are preventable by proper interventions, awareness and treatment by skilled health workers. Ironically the government including development partners often claims a success of reducing the MMR from 570 in 1990 to 351 after 2000. But the cumulative number is still above 20,000, which could not be ignored at all.

Dr. Makhduma Nargis explained the planning of present government to prevent MMR through the community health clinic project.

In their discussion Tahura Ali MP, Papia Ashrafi MP, Sanjida Khanom MP, Mahbub Ara Begum Gini MP, Hasanul Huq Inu, Habibunnahar MP, Rehana Akter Ranu MP, Nilufar Chowdhury MP and Rowshan Jahan Sathi MP describes the worsen state of health services particularly to women in their constituencies. They emphasized on increase service along with more awareness program to prevent causes like early marriage, early motherhood and social malpractice of not going to clinic. All of them expressed their vows to raise this issue in ongoing budget session of national parliament.

In his discussion honorable deputy speaker advised his fellow MPs to uphold the discussed issues precisely and specifically in their speech at parliament sessions.

The discussion also stressed on more budgetary allocation for women to reduce gender discrimination and thus achieve MDG 3.

Representative from UN Millennium Campaign and Women journalists from print and electronic media also participated in this sharing.

Faisal Bin Majid, coordinator of BNPS presents current status of MMR of Bangladesh

The spot conveys the fact of death of 23000 mothers a year in Bangladesh to give birth child and a call of promise in Mother Day to save each mother from death during child birth. In addition to the TVC, two Televisions and one Radio channel pulled the attention of viewers/listeners to the harsh reality of our high Maternal Mortality Rate referring BNPS as source. They broadcasted special report in news across the day styled as ‘The nation observing the Mother Day in the crude reality of high maternal mortality: Achieving MDG 5 is in challenge’.

On the occasion of World Safe Motherhood Day 28 May 2010, BNPS facilitated special reporting on MDG 5 in one English and one Bangla dailies by providing information and analysis. Find the reports here:

The Daily Star

The Daily Samakal

A partial view of the program

Organizers urged the government to increase the budgetary allocation for women development from the existing three per cent to seven per cent in the next national budget.

Major focus of this year’s recommendations was on achieving Millennium Development Goals # 3 and # 5. New allotment for decreasing maternal death at childbirth, including the revitalisation of community health clinic, maternal health voucher scheme, awareness building programs and maternity leave for female workers in all sectors were demanded. Other major recommendations were:

• Sufficient numbers of female physicians should be sent to the upazila-level hospitals with increased allowances to improve the healthcare of women.
• To achieve the millennium development goal of women’s economic empowerment, there should be enactment of necessary laws covering important aspects, including vocational training, opportunities for income, women’s equal rights of property inheritance and control over moveable and immovable properties earned through market management.
• Tax break and tax holiday for the enterprises run by the women, where the investment was up to Tk 20 lakh.
• Supply of drinking water and gas for all households in order to reduce women’s unproductive workload.
• Direct election to women reserved seats in the parliament to ensure women empowerment in society and politics.
• Government support for English and computer training for women to develop their professional skills.
• Special scholarship for female student in the higher education.

BNPS executive director Rokeya Kabir, economist Dr. Pratima Paul-Majumder, Ms. Shipa Hafiza (Director, Gender Justice, Diversity and Advocacy of BRAC), and executive director of IED Numan Ahmed Khan addressed the press conference.

For further reading please click the links below:

The Daily New Age

BDnews24.com

Ekushe TV

The study paper is published in March 2009

Price: 120 Taka

ISBN: 978-984-8834-01-5

For getting full text in PDF format of this study please click here.

Following is the BNPS response to the request of the UNHCHR:

May 12, 2010

Honorable High Commissioner:

We are delighted and encouraged to receive your communication of March 29, 2010 regarding the thematic study on discrimination against women your office has undertaken.

We all know that the governments pledge to repeal all discriminatory laws by 2005  was not met and laws that explicitly discriminate against women unfortunately remain in force in many countries. Like women in other countries Bangladeshi women also demand abolition of all discriminatory laws.

BNPS appreciates your initiative to invite responses from concerned civil society organizations. As a Bangladeshi women organization we would like to take this opportunity to present our following responses to your initiatives:

• There have been efforts to try and amend laws that discriminate against women, but much more needs to be done also to ensure laws are enforced.
• Even when there are good laws, enforcement is not always strong and women’s access to justice is not always easy.
• Governments have committed themselves to promote equality before the law internationally, regionally and through national constitutions, but implementation has been slow.
• The CEDAW Committee has done good work, but its mandate is limited to looking at countries every four years. Other UN special mechanisms and human rights bodies have occasionally addressed issues of women’s legal equality, but not in a systematic way. A specific UN focus on women’s equality the law could really help governments accelerate their efforts, sharing best practice, assisting the efforts of national and local civil society organizations to press for very concrete change.
• Inequality before the law has very real meaning for women and girls trying to live their lives-being able to have access to work and to be paid equally for it and have equal pension rights, being able to hold political office, having access to legal protection against violence, being able to participate fully in the lives of their families and communities, being able to pass nationality to spouses and children so they too have equal access to e.g. education, healthcare and housing.
• There are many other examples of how discrimination in law and access to law has a very real negative impact on the lives of women and girls around the world.
• Promoting women’s equality is also Goal 3 of the Millennium Development Goals. The feminisation of poverty is something that is not given enough attention. The situation for those most disadvantaged has become worse with the global credit crunch. Removal of barriers to legal equality will help address this issue and enable women to participate more fully in the social, economic, political and cultural spheres of file.

We hope our concerns will be reflected in this thematic study and your effort will play positive role to end discrimination against Bangladeshi women along with our sisters all over the globe.

We appreciate your initiative and wish you success.

Yours sincerely,

Rokeya Kabir
Executive Director
Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha (BNPS)