The rights women expected to secure after last year’s July uprising did not materialise in the July charter, while women’s participation has declined across various sectors, speakers said at a discussion in the capital yesterday.
They warned that without increased female participation in the upcoming national election, meaningful progress on women’s rights would remain out of reach. They were addressing an event titled “Women in the Reconstruction of Democracy: What We Received”, organised by the newly formed platform “Women in Democracy”.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star’s Google News channel. Jahangirnagar University anthropology professor Mirza Taslima Sultana said patriarchal dominance has intensified since the 2024 uprising and that traditional politics continues to exclude women from meaningful engagement. Criticising the low number of female nominees in elections, she said, “Black money and muscle power continue to keep women from contesting polls.”
Information Adviser Mahfuj Alam said, “Those who were once oppressed have now become oppressors. In this situation, women are the worst affected. Political parties should include women’s rights as a key issue in their election manifestos.”
He added that a strong wave of reactionary attitudes has emerged in society and that no steps have been taken to stop it. “That is our failure.”
BNP leader Nilufa Chowdhury Moni said no political party has taken effective steps to end the suppression of women. “In this regard, the men of all parties are the same … Unless women’s participation in political parties and their representation in parliament increase, their situation will remain unchanged. We hope this does not continue.”
Shahidul Alam, photographer and human rights activist, said he could not understand how democracy could exist while denying the rights of half the population. “There is no reason to believe we can achieve collective progress by disempowering half of our people.”
Prof Nahrin Islam Khan of Jahangirnagar University’s geology department criticised how the July charter has ignored women’s rights. “Why should another gender make decisions for the 52 percent of the population who are women? We hoped the dream of July would translate into something different, where harassment against women would decrease. But it hasn’t. If women are absent from the July charter, how can it bring meaningful change?”
She added that every woman should carefully review party manifestos before voting.
Dhaka University sociology teacher Samina Luthfa said, “After July, cyberbullying of women has increased, and women are being harassed just as before. A lot of resources are being used to confine working women to their homes. This must stop. Political parties can strengthen women’s leadership through dialogue.”
Umama Fatema, former leader of Students Against Discrimination, which spearheaded the July uprising, said anti-women voices have grown louder afterwards. “An aggressive power structure seeks to suppress women, and to resist this, women must unite.”
Political scientist Dilara Chowdhury said the July charter was meant to be inclusive but had instead overlooked women’s rights. “Political parties, as the gatekeepers of democracy, continue to deny women access to policymaking and representation.”
She also criticised the BNP for nominating only three percent of its candidates, instead of its promised five percent.
Mahdi Amin, adviser to the BNP’s acting chairman, pledged the party would nominate women in at least five percent of Jatiya Sangsad constituencies and establish legal and health cells in every district to support victims of sexual abuse.
Speaking at the event, Jamaat-e-Islami activist Marsia Marzina Maria said, “As women, we do have a role in decision-making within the party structure. We work through a separate platform. Even still, I certainly want my party to recognise that many women are actively involved in policy-making, education, research, and international engagements. These women should be empowered. Internally, our party is working in that direction. But what I want from my party is to project this effort at the national level with a unified and welfare-focused approach.”
She added that her party shaped its women’s leadership in accordance with Shariah principles.
Tasnim Jara, senior joint member secretary of the National Citizen Party, said intersectionality must be addressed in politics to truly empower women. “Traditional politics fails to benefit underprivileged groups, including marginalised women who lost their primary household earners during the July uprising … If these issues are not addressed, democracy will remain incomplete. The country can’t progress by holding women back. We need more women in politics — no one is going to open the door for us.”
She said many women entered politics following the uprising but are now facing intense cyber harassment across all parties. “We all must take a stand … Lip service is not enough. Women need to be active participants in politics, but if we cannot ensure a safe environment, why would they come forward?”
Mahmudur Rahman Manna, president of Nagorik Oikya, said protecting women’s rights requires firm commitments from political parties. “If the parties do not change, nothing else will change.”
He stressed the need for increased women’s participation in central committees.
Mir Nadia Nivin, a member of the Election Reform Commission, said, “Among the political, institutional, economic, and social spheres, women’s participation is lowest in political parties. When it comes to women’s rights, participation, and representation within these parties, we are essentially stuck in the same place. There has been little meaningful progress.”
Garment worker Parul Begum spoke about the struggles of low-income, wage-earning women. Zonayed Saki, chief coordinator of Ganosamhati Andolon; Mahrukh Mohiuddin, organiser of Narir Rajnoitik Adhikar Forum; and Khadijatul Kubra, a victim of the Digital Security Act, were also present.