I am Noorjehan Murshid and I come from Murshidabad. I was educated at the Victoria Institution in Calcutta and the Universities of Calcutta and Boston. My first job after my graduation from Calcutta was that of Headmistress of a Girls’ High School in Barisal. Before my M.A. results came out, I was appointed Superintendent of [...]

INTERNATIONAL CEDAW Day was observed on September 3. The Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) is the most important international instrument for protecting women’s human rights, and more than 185 countries of the world are signatories. Bangladesh signed this convention on November 6, 1984.
But there are two articles on [...]

Ben Beaumont speaks to Hasina from an island community in Bangladesh, where women are at the heart of the response to climate change.Ben Beaumont speaks to Hasina from an island community in Bangladesh, where women are at the heart of the response to climate change. “We had our own land, but the river washed it [...]

Finance Minister AMA Muhith at his budget speech yesterday said the government would initiate positive steps to ensure gender equity across the economy.
“We want to bring women in the mainstream of economic development and good governance,” said the finance minister.
“For the first time I am presenting a separate statement before the parliament regarding the allocations [...]

The government has undertaken a programme to impart vocational training to 10,000 women in the country for their empowerment and ensuring their participation in development of national economy, reports UNB.
“Besides, the government’s initiative to encourage knowledge-based industrial programmes is reflected in the proposed budget for the current fiscal,” Industries Minister Dilip Barua said this during [...]

Distressed women, divorcees and young girls of the district are becoming self-reliant and making financial contributions to their families sewing handloom garments and marketing them. The women affairs department, social service department, youth development department and other government organisations, reputed NGOs like the RDRS, ASA, BRAC and dozens of local NGOs are playing vital role [...]

Women lawmakers yesterday vowed to work towards ensuring women’s empowerment and to be vocal on women’s rights issues in parliament.
At a reception ceremony organised by Manusher Jonno Foundation, the women MPs who are elected for the first time shared their experiences, struggle, electioneering and their priorities.
“I will work for the development of [...]

MOST functionaries of the important microfinance institutions (MFI) of the world come to Bangladesh for learning ASA’s micro finance model because it is cost-effective and very simple. Accordingly, a 15-member Filipino MFI team came to Bangladesh to visit ASA’s programme recently. The name of their organisation is Bank-CARD, Philippines. After theoretical session at the ASA [...]

Challenging the frontiers of poverty reduction

THERE is always a group of people who slip through the cracks of every form of poverty alleviation strategy tried and tested until now. Be it the manual labourers living daily from hand to mouth or the women and children who work in our houses in exchange of meagre sums [...]

 
“one is really surprised by the presence of atypical and non-traditional women in dramas and ads and the print media. I will argue towards the end of the book that it can be said about the print and electronic media that when the image of the woman is concerned they are integral and flowing together [...]

THE recent report “Whispers to Voices” highlighted the substantial gains in women’s status in Bangladesh over the last few decades. School enrolment of girls now exceeds that of boys’, infant mortality has fallen, gender differences in survival of children have narrowed, fertility has declined dramatically, and women are now more visible in public spaces than [...]

THIS piece is intended mainly to endorse the views of Kamal Uddin Ahmed expressed in his article under the heading “Quota system for civil service” published in the Daily Star on July 18, and also to add some of my own views on the subject.
It is ridiculous that merit gets a share of only 45% [...]

More women’s representation both in print and electronic media is needed to help the country move on towards progress, speakers said at the inaugural session of a seven-day workshop in Dhaka on Sunday.
They also urged the country’s media management to create more job opportunities for women in the media as women represent only five-percent of [...]

Eastern Bank Ltd (EBL) has opened a Women Entrepreneurs’ Cell under its SME Banking division on its Dhanmondi branch premises to support growing women entrepreneurs’ business needs.
EBL Deputy Managing Director (DMD) and Head of SME Banking Muklesur Rahman inaugurated the cell through a simple ceremony Sunday.
He handed over the first women entrepreneur business loan ‘EBL [...]

Dhaka: While Bangladesh has achieved impressive gains in women’s status and gender equality, access to reproductive health services, labour markets, physical security and role in decision-making need urgent attention.
A World Bank report ‘Whispers to Voices: Gender and Social Transformation in Bangladesh’ documented changes in norms, attitudes and practices related to gender equality based on national [...]