Speaker urges men to join women’s fight for equality

Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury urged on Monday the men in the society to fight along with the women in removing all barriers to the path of achieving equal opportunities for all of them in the workplace, reports UNB.

She made the remarks while addressing a discussion organised by East West University (EWU) to celebrate International Women's Day on the varsity campus in the city's Aftabnagar.

The Speaker also observed that women's rights are human rights, so everyone would have to work to establish these rights.

"Despite being equal in merit, the participation of women in the workplace in our country is only 35 per cent. Women's empowerment is being restricted due to familial, social and mental constraints," said Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury.

Senior Research Fellow of Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Dr Nazneen Ahmed and Executive Director of think tank Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) Dr Fahmida Khatun took part in the discussion.

Chairperson of Board of Trustees of EWU and former governor of the Bangladesh Bank Dr Mohammed Farashuddin and vice-chancellor Prof Dr MM Shahidul Hassan, and Pro vice-chancellor Prof Dr Fakrul Alam were, among others, present.