Mahila Parishad decries JS reserved seats for women sans election

Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) has blasted the 17th amendment to the constitution allowing reserved seats for women in Parliament for another 25 years without the provision of election, reports UNB.

In a press statement on Monday, BMP said the current government broke its own promise made in the election manifesto by passing the bill without any provision of election for the reserved women seats.

According to BMP, through passing such bill, women's progress has been hampered.

The decision is contradictory to government's policy for women's political empowerment, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and UN's Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), claimed BMP.

BMP said Awami League committed to increasing the reserved women seats by 33 per cent with the holding of direct election for those seats in the manifesto before the 9th parliamentary election.

It was also mentioned in the National Women Development Policy 2011 that the government would increase the number of reserved women seats and arrange direct election to empower the women, added BMP.

The women organisation demanded the increase in the reserved seats in parliament by one third, direct poll and relocation of the election area.