By Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo
DHAKA, Mar 10, 2020 (BSS)–The Women and Children Affairs Ministry has undertaken various measures to empower 51 lakh marginal women by creating new entrepreneurs and imparting ICT, health and nutrition, family planning and other trainings.
“As part of the ministry’s initiatives, we will create 100,000 new women entrepreneurs and impart ICT training to 50 lakh marginal and underprivileged women,” State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Fazilatun Nessa Indira told BSS.
She said a committee has been constituted for branding and implementing the programmes across the country for women’s empowerment.
In the last ten years, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina took various steps to create women entrepreneurs and employment, aiming at women empowerment and poverty alleviation. Bangladesh is the top position in women empowerment in the South Asia.
According to a ministry official, around 1,53,39,000 underprivileged women took different trainings including ICT, health and nutrition, family planning during the last ten years.
He said 63.50 lakh VGD beneficiaries women received trainings on nutrition, health, income generating and social awareness, while 22 lakh maternal allowance beneficiaries joined 10 days training on health and nutrition affairs.
Some 7.29 lakh lactating mother allowance beneficiaries took training on poverty alleviation, reduction of mother and child mortality rate, breastfeeding, nutrition, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), importance of pregnancy services and family planning issue.
Highlighting the government’s various realistic and people oriented projects, state minister for women and children affairs Fazilatun Nessa Indira said the government imparted trainings on different trades for empowering the women.
During the Mujib Barsho, 50 lakh marginal and underprivileged women will be empowered by imparting training on information and communication technology (ICT), she said.
The government also gave training to 33.43 lakh women on women development, economic empowerment and oppression prevention since 2009.
Besides, some 25 lakh rural and urban women received ICT services and 2,17,440 underprivileged and destitute women got Income Generating Activities (IGA) trainings for turning them economically resilient.
The Awami League government has introduced various laws and policies for development and empowerment of women in the country.
The state minister said that it was Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman who first talked about freedom of women and equality of men and women.
She said following Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s directives women and children affairs ministry has taken a master plan to prevent child marriage and ensure women empowerment.
“Everyone would have to work for creating awareness against child marriage in the country so that we can make Bangladesh free from child marriage,” said the state minister.
According to the global gender gap index produced by the World Economic Forum, globally, gender parity stands at 68.6 percent and the bottom 10 countries have closed just 40 percent of the gender gap.
Centre for Research Institution (CRI) said women’s participation in the workplace, leadership role in the political and social arenas and access to credit can be regarded as empowerment of women.
It said women empowerment is the reflection of gender equality which is the precursor to moving the country forward, towards middle income status, towards inclusive and sustainable development.