Need for the provision of paternity leave
Wednesday, 29 October 2008
Sebika Debnath
What a terrible time she had to go through! Her son Adittya was born in Dhaka during the 1998's devastating flood. Her husband used to work in Sylhet at that time. During her delivery, he couldn't come to Dhaka, as the road communication was cut off due to flood. The above story is from real life and the subject is Anindita Roy, a housewife recalling her bad memories.
"And, to make the matter worse, no relative was with her. Finding me in a bad shape, her neighbour got Anindita admitted to a clinic. There was virtually nobody to look after her and Adittya," narrated the ordeal Anindita had gone through.
Anindita went on: In Bangladesh, working mothers are given maternity leave. According to her, working fathers should also be given paternity leave like their female counterparts.
Nilanjana Haque agrees with her wholeheartedly. "My man works in Nilphamari, but I work in an NGO in capital Dhaka. Prior to the birth of our daughter Orchi, I had a few pregnancy-related problems. As a result, I had to undergo a caesarean operation."
"During the birth of Orchi, my husband could not be with me. I might not have been so helpless had my parents or my husband's parents were alive. In modern life, joint families are being broken creating single families. This is why working mums face enormous problems. Things get even worse, if husbands have to live far away from their families," she says.
Shirin Sultana, a housewife from Tantibazar, also has bad bitter experience when she had the first baby. Despite working in Dhaka, her husband, Arif, could not manage days off to be with his wife all the time. Fortunately, Shirin had a brother-in law, who all the necessary worked, including taking her to the hospital.
She says, "Right after delivery, both my little boy and I developed some serious problems. I was admitted to a clinic while the baby was admitted to a hospital. After spending the whole day in office, Arid had to shuttle between the clinic, hospital and home. He himself fell sick after doing this for a quite some time. "
Every woman wants her husband to be with her during delivery, Shirring says." I think like women, working males should be allowed to enjoy paternity leave. Because it's the responsibility of every man to be with his wife and child at that crucial time. So, it is necessary to enact a law to allow working men to enjoy paternity leave."
There are many women like Anindita, Nilanjana and Shirin who do not get their husbands with them at the time of delivery. But every woman wants to have her hubby at that important and complicated time. Though working women are given four months' maternity leave, working males are not given any paternity leave.
Some clauses of the United Nations charter on children's rights do indeed justify that working men should get paternity leave to ensure welfare of the children.
Ataur Rahman, assistant public prosecutor of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, says, "The issue of protecting children's rights completely has been unequivocally stated in the UN charter on children's rights.
Yet, there is no law in Bangladesh to provide men paternity leave. The leave men are currently permitted to take at the time of delivery is purely on humanitarian grounds."
He also says, "Although we talk about equal rights, women are treated differently in every aspect. In our society, rearing up children is considered to be the task of women. The role of a mother in raising children is undeniable.
But along with the mother, you can't ignore the father's role. To facilitate a man to be with his wife at the time of need and to play a positive role in the early days of a child, a law allowing paternity leave is necessary."
Dr Prof Liakat Ali Siddiqui, a teacher of Law department at Dhaka University, says, maternity leave has become a necessity in the changing society, as joint families are being disintegrated and both the parents are now working. Besides, every child has the right to have both parents with him.
He, however, says proper measures should be in place so that the intended law on paternity leave cannot be misused. One will be granted paternity leave only after he provided the evidence.
Advocate Kohinoor Begum, assistant programme manager of Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association, says, "Every husband should be with his wife during the delivery to relieve her of the mental pressure.
The responsibility to raise children doesn't solely lie with the mother; rather both the parents are responsible for that. Working dads may be allowed at least one month's paternity leave."
Monirul Islam, director of Bangladesh Mohila Parishad, says, "There must be a law for paternity leave. I've recently become a dad. I think every working male should be with his wife before, during and after delivery to give her mental support.
A male should also look after his wife and kid at that time. Working women get four months' maternity leave while males get nothing due to absence of law."
It's needless to say that both husband and wife are involved in the whole process starting from conception to delivery.
So, doctors ask husbands to be with their pregnant wives for looking after them. A company where a male person works keeps his wife cheerful. Besides, husband's presence makes the wife feel secure.
A NewsNetwork feature
What a terrible time she had to go through! Her son Adittya was born in Dhaka during the 1998's devastating flood. Her husband used to work in Sylhet at that time. During her delivery, he couldn't come to Dhaka, as the road communication was cut off due to flood. The above story is from real life and the subject is Anindita Roy, a housewife recalling her bad memories.
"And, to make the matter worse, no relative was with her. Finding me in a bad shape, her neighbour got Anindita admitted to a clinic. There was virtually nobody to look after her and Adittya," narrated the ordeal Anindita had gone through.
Anindita went on: In Bangladesh, working mothers are given maternity leave. According to her, working fathers should also be given paternity leave like their female counterparts.
Nilanjana Haque agrees with her wholeheartedly. "My man works in Nilphamari, but I work in an NGO in capital Dhaka. Prior to the birth of our daughter Orchi, I had a few pregnancy-related problems. As a result, I had to undergo a caesarean operation."
"During the birth of Orchi, my husband could not be with me. I might not have been so helpless had my parents or my husband's parents were alive. In modern life, joint families are being broken creating single families. This is why working mums face enormous problems. Things get even worse, if husbands have to live far away from their families," she says.
Shirin Sultana, a housewife from Tantibazar, also has bad bitter experience when she had the first baby. Despite working in Dhaka, her husband, Arif, could not manage days off to be with his wife all the time. Fortunately, Shirin had a brother-in law, who all the necessary worked, including taking her to the hospital.
She says, "Right after delivery, both my little boy and I developed some serious problems. I was admitted to a clinic while the baby was admitted to a hospital. After spending the whole day in office, Arid had to shuttle between the clinic, hospital and home. He himself fell sick after doing this for a quite some time. "
Every woman wants her husband to be with her during delivery, Shirring says." I think like women, working males should be allowed to enjoy paternity leave. Because it's the responsibility of every man to be with his wife and child at that crucial time. So, it is necessary to enact a law to allow working men to enjoy paternity leave."
There are many women like Anindita, Nilanjana and Shirin who do not get their husbands with them at the time of delivery. But every woman wants to have her hubby at that important and complicated time. Though working women are given four months' maternity leave, working males are not given any paternity leave.
Some clauses of the United Nations charter on children's rights do indeed justify that working men should get paternity leave to ensure welfare of the children.
Ataur Rahman, assistant public prosecutor of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court, says, "The issue of protecting children's rights completely has been unequivocally stated in the UN charter on children's rights.
Yet, there is no law in Bangladesh to provide men paternity leave. The leave men are currently permitted to take at the time of delivery is purely on humanitarian grounds."
He also says, "Although we talk about equal rights, women are treated differently in every aspect. In our society, rearing up children is considered to be the task of women. The role of a mother in raising children is undeniable.
But along with the mother, you can't ignore the father's role. To facilitate a man to be with his wife at the time of need and to play a positive role in the early days of a child, a law allowing paternity leave is necessary."
Dr Prof Liakat Ali Siddiqui, a teacher of Law department at Dhaka University, says, maternity leave has become a necessity in the changing society, as joint families are being disintegrated and both the parents are now working. Besides, every child has the right to have both parents with him.
He, however, says proper measures should be in place so that the intended law on paternity leave cannot be misused. One will be granted paternity leave only after he provided the evidence.
Advocate Kohinoor Begum, assistant programme manager of Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association, says, "Every husband should be with his wife during the delivery to relieve her of the mental pressure.
The responsibility to raise children doesn't solely lie with the mother; rather both the parents are responsible for that. Working dads may be allowed at least one month's paternity leave."
Monirul Islam, director of Bangladesh Mohila Parishad, says, "There must be a law for paternity leave. I've recently become a dad. I think every working male should be with his wife before, during and after delivery to give her mental support.
A male should also look after his wife and kid at that time. Working women get four months' maternity leave while males get nothing due to absence of law."
It's needless to say that both husband and wife are involved in the whole process starting from conception to delivery.
So, doctors ask husbands to be with their pregnant wives for looking after them. A company where a male person works keeps his wife cheerful. Besides, husband's presence makes the wife feel secure.
A NewsNetwork feature