Violence is the biggest barrier to women's progress: Mahila Parishad president

Violence remains the biggest obstacle to women's advancement in the country, said Bangladesh Mahila Parishad President Fawzia Moslem on Wednesday.

"Violence against women is being tolerated. District-level committees formed to prevent such violence must be activated," she said at a discussion titled "Effective Allocation, Implementation, Monitoring and Evaluation of Gender Budget Allocated for Women's Empowerment" held at the Jatiya Press Club under the banner "National Budget 2025–26: Expectations of Women."

Referring to last year's Ministry of Women and Children Affairs decision to build hostels for women, she pointed out, "Although buildings were constructed, there is no manpower or functioning activities. Gender budgeting must go beyond paper and be implemented across sectors."

In the health sector, she noted some progress in reducing maternal mortality but said the country is still far from achieving its goals. 

"Family planning is crucial along with measures like preventing child marriage, maternal allowances, and maternity leave."

Nasrin Begum, deputy director of Naripokkho, said, "We want clarity in the new budget regarding women's advancement. Ministries have separate allocations — but we need to see how much they fulfill the actual demands of women, not just through numbers but in qualitative terms."

She said gender budgeting is not just for women but for ensuring equality.

"To ensure women's empowerment, education, health, and safety, the budget must consider marginalisation, women's needs, and market realities. Stipends, old-age and widow allowances must be increased. Female farmers must be recognised as 'farmers' and given easy access to loans."

"Budget allocations must address the spread of misogynistic content on social media and other platforms. Resources are also needed to engage marginalised women in income-generating activities."