Women’s inclusion in village courts rising, but still far from target

Although more people are accessing services at village courts in Bangladesh, women's participation remains far below target levels, according to a recent survey. Among service users, women accounted for 31%, while men made up 69%. 

In 2023, women's participation in decision-making was 9.68%, rising to 14.5% in 2024. Experts warn that achieving the project's target of 56% by 2027 faces significant time constraints.

They recommended making village court services more gender-sensitive and inclusive, as this is essential for social justice and for ensuring that justice is easily accessible to rural women and marginalised communities.

These observations were made at a roundtable titled "Importance of Promoting Gender-Sensitive and Inclusive Village Court Services for Rural Women and Marginalised Communities", held at a city hotel today (21 September).

"The lack of a supportive environment for women in Union Parishads and limited social acceptance of women in leadership roles hinder their participation in the justice process."

Gender analyst  Shamima Akter Shammi

In the keynote speech, Shamima Akter Shammi, gender analyst of Activating Village Courts in Bangladesh (AVCB) Phase III Project, said, "The lack of a supportive environment for women in Union Parishads and limited social acceptance of women in leadership roles hinder their participation in the justice process."

The survey highlighted that increasing the financial jurisdiction of village courts from Tk75,000 to Tk300,000 has encouraged more case filings. Of these, 15% of cases exceed Tk75,000, while 3% involve arrears in alimony filed by wives. 

However, most rural women remain uninformed about their rights. Barriers include lack of legal awareness, information gaps, procedural complexities, transportation difficulties, social discouragement, security concerns, and fear of harassment or disrespect during proceedings.

Md Rezaul Maqsud Zahedi, secretary of the Local Government Division, said, "This project has been ongoing since 2009 and will continue until 2027. Activities will become more dynamic if women are included in every village court."

The government operates village courts across 4,453 Union Parishads in 61 districts, supported by the Local Government Division, UNDP, and the European Union. 

Bibash Chakraborty, national project coordinator of the AVCB III Project, said, "78% of cases filed have been resolved, with an average resolution time of 18 days at a cost of Tk328, reaching over one million people nationwide."

Ratna Akhter, a female village court representative, urged programme expansion, stating, "We promote justice by sitting with both parties who come to the village court."

UNDP Assistant Resident Representative Md Anwarul Haque highlighted, "About 10,000 cases have been sent from the district court to the village court. This shows both the administration and the people have confidence in village courts."

Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs, Momtaz Ahmed, stressed, "Women must have easy access to justice in village courts. If they can benefit without financial cost, rural women will truly gain."