Raise women candidates' number in JS polls to 33pc

Female leaders of different political parties have called for raising the number of women candidates by political parties in the forthcoming Jatiya Sangsad (JS) polls to 33 per cent for their real empowerment, reports UNB.

Female leaders made the call at a workshop on 'Advancing Women's Leadership in the General Election: Increasing Women Candidate and Campaign Managers' organised by Democracy International (DI) at a hotel in the city on Tuesday.

They said female leaders and workers in their respective political parties are not being treated equally with their male counterparts.

Rather, they said, they always face discriminations when it comes to party leadership role due to conventional attitude of party leaders.

"Still, women are being treated as women, not as persons, by all political parties," Selima Hossain, a former minister and BNP vice chairman, told the workshop.

Katie Croke, COP of DI, presided over the programme. USAID and UKAid were its co-organisers.