Build 'new Bangladesh' with women at forefront

Place women at the centre of political and social transformation, the Chief Adviser urges, asserting that a "new Bangladesh must rise with the womenfolk leading the way". Speaking at the 2025 Begum Rokeya Day ceremony in Dhaka on Tuesday, Prof Muhammad Yunus notes that the country still falls short of the vision laid out by Begum Rokeya a century ago, despite progress in education and civic life.
Four women received the annual Begum Rokeya Padak -- an honour recognising contributions to women's rights and empowerment -- at an event held at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.
This year's awardees include researcher Ruvana Rakib (women's education), labour-rights activist Kalpona Akter, athlete Rituporna Chakma, and human-rights advocate Navila Idris.
"This is not just another award -- it is transformational," Yunus told the audience.
"These women have not only advanced Bangladesh; they are leaders for the world."
But the head of interim government warns that Bangladesh had failed to produce another visionary like Rokeya, who in the early 20th century campaigned for girls' education, financial independence and social equality.
"We spoke, but did not advance. A hundred years have passed by yet we could not create another Rokeya. That is our misfortune."
The Nobel laureate reflects on the 1974 famine, describing how women were often the last to eat and the first to suffer. Many, he reminds, did not know how to write their own names. "We gave them sticks to learn to write," he recalls. "They learned through tears. That was Bangladesh only decades ago."
Bangladesh has since seen dramatic gains in female education, he notes. Yet structural discrimination remains. At Dhaka University, he points out, female students now equal men in number, but the campus still has five women's halls compared with 13 for men.
Yunus argues that the women who helped lead recent mass uprisings represent a new generation in Bangladesh's political history - one capable of driving social change.
"The journey of new Bangladesh begins with this generation of women. They will inspire everyone. Let our new Bangladesh be built with women at the front."
At the event, he announced that the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs will be renamed Ministry of Women and Children, signalling an institutional shift in focus.
The ceremony was chaired by adviser Sharmin S Murshid, with Senior Secretary Momtaz Ahmed delivering opening remarks.
mirmostafiz@yahoo.com