women
Entry-level women's recruitment doubles in banking sector, but board representation still lagging
The women employment in the banking sector increased by 1407 in July-December period of 2023, and the overall perrcentage of women employees at banks stood at 16.37 percent in Bangladesh.
Meanwhile just 13.51% of board members in the banks are women.
Bangladesh Bank’s (BB’s) latest report on gender equality revealed this information. There are 33346 women employees in 61 banks in the country, which is 16.37 percent of the total employees of banks, according to the report.
The BB report shows that among the scheduled banks in 2023, 43 private commercial banks have the highest number of women employees 22,248, which is 16.32 percent of the total employees.
Foreign commercial banks have the highest proportion of female officers, 24.18 percent as compared to other banks.
In the period July-December 2023, the participation of women as board members was only 13.51 percent. Among them, foreign commercial banks have the highest female board member participation rate at 17.54 percent.
Read more: Bangladesh's women empowerment showcased in Myanmar
On the other hand, there is no participation of women board members of specialized commercial banks in the discussed period.
According to the reports submitted by banks during the period July-December 2023 shows that the participation rate of women employees is higher at the entry-level 17.04 percent and mid-level 15.79 percent than at the higher levels 9.36 percent.
Analysis of the obtained data shows that the participation of women in the banking sector is high at the initial stage.
At the same time, the participation rate of female employees under thirty years of age 20.99 percent is more than double that of female officers above 9.58 percent in scheduled banks.
Bangladesh’s place has improved by 12 steps in the gender gap report of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in 2023, as women's employment increased in the country.
The BB report shows that Bangladesh is holding the 59th position in 2023 improving from 71st in 2022 in the gender gap of WEF, among 146 countries in the world.
Read more: PM Hasina keen to create more scopes for women in every sector: Nasrul Hamid
Executive Director of CDP Dr. Fahmida Khatun said that women's employment is usually increasing with the developing socio-economic scenario of the country and decreasing the ratio of women's employment does not match that calculation.
She focused on the need to study why the ratio of women employment has been decreasing in the banking sector.
Bangladesh Bank’s spokesperson Mezbaul Haque told UNB that women's employment has increased in the banking sector following the central bank’s policy to reduce the gender gap in banks and financial institutions.
The central bank prefers women both in employment and entrepreneurship development. Loan disbursement and interest incentives have been given to women encouraging them involved in financial inclusion.
The BB is still working to ensure a sound environment in the workplace of banks. Facilities including maternity leave and daycare opportunities for women’s employees have increased, he said.
Read more: Proven Passive Income Ideas for Women in 2024
Which Vitamins are Essential for Women?
Vitamins are integral for women's health. They actively maintain overall well-being, regulate vital bodily functions, and avert diverse health complications.
These nutrients play pivotal roles, supporting immunity, nurturing organs, and ensuring optimal functionality. Together they promote women's health and vitality.
6 Essential Vitamins for Women
Vitamin A
Vitamin A plays a critical role in women’s health. It actively supports vision, fortifies the immune system, and nurtures reproductive health. It is also essential for maintaining healthy skin. This vitamin is abundantly found in carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach.
Actively incorporating these nutrient-rich foods into the diet ensures an adequate supply of Vitamin A. It actively fosters robust immunity, aids in cell regeneration for healthy skin, and contributes significantly to preserving optimal vision. Thus it helps ensure women’s overall well-being.
Read more: 10 Teas for Upset Stomach and Improved Digestive Health
Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 stands as an indispensable element for women. It contributes to energy production, neurological functions, and red blood cell formation. Meats, fish, dairy products, and fortified cereals serve as rich sources and ensure a substantial intake of Vitamin B12.
This vitamin is vital for sustaining nerve health, supporting cognitive functions, and aiding the production of red blood cells crucial for oxygen transport. Its active presence in the diet is pivotal for women for fostering vitality, ensuring neurological well-being, and maintaining the body's essential functions.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C serves as a pivotal nutrient for women. It helps with collagen formation, bolsters immunity, and promotes skin health. It is abundantly found in citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers, and broccoli. Vitamin C plays a crucial role in maintaining overall well-being and enhancing immune responses.
Read more: Vitamin C: Where to Found and How Much to Consume
It also supports collagen synthesis, fortifies skin integrity, aids in wound healing, and safeguards against infections.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D stands as one of the most necessary nutrients for women. It is great for bone health, immunity function, and mood regulation. Exposure to sunlight and the consumption of fortified foods such as fatty fish, eggs, and fortified dairy products ensure adequate Vitamin D levels.
This vital nutrient plays a pivotal role in maintaining strong bones, supporting the immune system's resilience, and regulating mood patterns. It can help to prevent Vitamin D deficiency diseases like osteoporosis. Actively incorporating these sources into the diet and sunlight exposure actively facilitates optimal Vitamin D levels.
Read more: Different forms of Vitamin D: Benefits, sources of Vitamin D1 vs D2 vs D3
Vitamin E
Vitamin E serves as a potent antioxidant. It shields women's cells from damage. This vitamin is abundantly found in nuts, seeds, spinach, and avocados. Vitamin E stands as an essential nutrient for women's health.
Its role as an antioxidant actively safeguards cells from harmful free radicals, supports skin vitality, and counteracts oxidative stress. Including these nutrient-rich foods into the diet ensures an ample supply of Vitamin E. It also protects women's overall health, preserving cellular integrity, and fortifying against the detrimental effects of oxidative damage.
Vitamin K
Vitamin K stands as a significant nutrient for women. It assists in blood clotting, bone metabolism, and heart health. Foods such as spinach, broccoli are rich in Vitamin K. It plays a significant role in supporting bone health and blood clotting mechanisms.
Read more: Microwave Cooking: 7 Healthy Chicken Breast Recipes
By actively incorporating these Vitamin K-rich foods into the diet, women can ensure their safety from different Vitamin K deficiency issues. It also participates in blood coagulation, aids in wound healing, and supports optimal bone density. Its role in regulating calcium aids in bone metabolism, while also contributing to heart health. All together it plays a vital role in women's overall health.
Closing Lines
Maintaining a balanced intake of vital vitamins and minerals is crucial for women's health and well-being. Actively incorporating a diverse range of nutrient-rich foods aids in sustaining optimal health across life stages. This practice actively supports bodily functions, fostering resilience and promoting wellness in women.
Read more: Zinc: Health Benefits, Food Sources and Daily Requirements
Proven Passive Income Ideas for Women in 2024
In today's intricate economic landscape, ways of passive income have opened new doors to achieve financial stability while maintaining flexibility. After the pandemic and global economic crisis, the cost of living has significantly shot up throughout the world. Therefore, earning some extra cash can help women to support their families. Let’s take a look at several passive income strategies that working women and homemakers can try in 2024.
Passive Income Ideas for Working Women and Homemakers
YouTube Vlogging
Starting a YouTube channel stands as a promising route for cultivating passive income. Women can actively share their expertise, experiences, or daily life through compelling video content. With persistent dedication, this content magnetises a broad viewership.
Consistent effort in content creation empowers women to get views and subscribers. This engagement may pave the way for monetisation avenues such as AdSense earning, ads or sponsorships.
Read more: 10 Best Programming Languages for 2024
Facebook Influencer
Diving into the realm of a Facebook influencer offers another avenue for women seeking passive income sources. By harnessing a robust social media presence, women can make partnerships with brands, do sponsored content, and endorse products.
With these, they can generate revenue based on their level of interaction and number of followers. This engagement-driven approach cultivates a mutually beneficial relationship between influencers and brands. Thus, it serves as a lucrative source of income for women navigating the digital landscape.
Read more: Influencer Marketing: A Beginner’s Guide
Freelancing Opportunities
Freelancing presents a versatile work structure. It enables women to leverage their expertise in diverse domains such as writing, graphic design, programming, and beyond. Platforms like Upwork, or Fiverr offer a spectrum of income opportunities.
Through active participation, these skilled individuals can carve a niche for themselves. They can engage with clients globally and foster a flexible yet rewarding career path, underpinned by their unique talents and proficiency.
Read more: How to Transform Your Freelancing Career into a Scalable Business?
Creating and Selling Stock Photos
Producing and vending stock photos emerge as a lucrative opportunity. Women with photography skills can capture and market their images on platforms like Shutterstock or Adobe Stock. By catering to diverse niches and trends, they can monetise their visual creations.
Bangladesh Women’s Cricket Showing Light of Hope
While the Bangladesh men’s cricket team is struggling in World Cup 2023, the Bangladesh women’s cricket team made history by winning a T20 series against Pakistan at home. These young women might not get as much attention as the men’s cricket team, but they show incredible determination, strength, and skill. Even though they do not get the deserved recognition or pay, the Bangladesh women’s cricket team consistently make all-out efforts. Now, it is high time for Bangladesh to focus on women’s cricket too.
Bangladesh Women’s Cricket: Performances in 2023
Bangladesh’s men’s cricket team had faced disappointment three times in the Asia Cup final; the women’s cricket team brought us a championship in the 2018 Asia Cup. Apart from this, Tigressed have other achievements too. Let’s dive deep.
ODI
This year, the Bangladesh Women’s team has played 5 ODIs and won one match against the India Women’s team. Indian team visited Bangladesh in July 2023 for a three-match ODI series. Tigress got their maiden win against India in the first match on July 16, 2023. Bangladesh Women’s team set a target of 152 for 9 in 43 overs, and India was all out for 113 and lost the match by 40 runs. However, Bangladesh lost the next game. Apart from this, Bangladesh also lost a match against Sri Lanka on May 4, 2023. Further, there was one no result against Sri Lanka, and one match was tied against India.
16 years ago, the women’s cricket team entered international cricket through a match against Thailand in Bangkok. After winning the first two matches, Tigresses took part in the ACC Women’s Tournament and won the title that year.
After that, the Bangladesh team led by Salma Khatun did not have to look back. However, in 2011, the Tigresses achieved an important milestone under coach Mamatha Maben. Despite finishing in 5th place in the Women’s World Cup Qualifier held on their own soil, the Bangladesh team won ODI status for the first time.
The Bangladesh women’s cricket team, which entered the top ten in the global rankings, then played a total of 57 ODIs until October 31, 2023, including bilateral and trilateral series. Bangladesh women’s cricket team won 15 ODI matches so far; 5 matches remain without results and tied in one match. Bangladesh women’s team is now ranked eighth in ICC Women’s ODI Rankings.
T20I
The roar of the Tigresses has been felt in the shortest and most popular version of current cricket, T20. The statistics of 42 wins in 107 matches are not very surprising, but once the top position of the ICC T20 ranking was occupied by the Tigresses. Bangladesh women’s cricket team is now ranked ninth in ICC Women’s T20I Rankings.
This year, Tigress played 15 T20I matches on home ground and abroad. But, the team could not get enough success at the beginning of this year. Most recently, they made history by winning a T20I series against Pakistan. Among the 15 T20I matches played this year, the Bangladesh women’s team won only five games.
The Bangladesh women’s cricket team has not made it to the finals of the ODI World Cup yet, but they have already competed in three T20 World Cups. In this edition of the World Cup qualifiers, they have been champions twice. In addition, this year, the team led by Nigar Sultana and Jahanara has won three of their last five T20 matches. The Bangladesh women’s cricket team has also achieved significant success in the Asian Games, earning silver medals in both the 2010 and 2014 editions.
Read more: Bangladesh win historic Women's T20 series against Pakistan
ODI and Test Status
On November 24, 2011, Bangladesh achieved ODI status by beating USA with 9 wickets in the 2011 Women’s Cricket World Cup Qualifier. This victory ensured that Bangladesh would be among the top 6 teams in the tournament and be ranked in the top 10 globally, which was the condition for getting ODI status. In April 2021, the ICC granted permanent Test and One Day International (ODI) status to all full-member women’s teams. But Tigresses are yet to play their debut test match.
Bangladesh won the 3-match T20I Series against Pakistan
Recently, Bangladeshi women won a T20I series against Pakistan by 2-1, which took place from October 25 to October 29. Bangladesh won the second T20 in a row against Pakistani girls in Chattogram on October 27. The Tigresses were happy to beat Pakistan by 20 runs in the second T20 of the three-match series.
In September 2023, Tigresses won the bronze medal by defeating Pakistan in the Asian Games. And winning a series against Pakistan in Bangladesh is another achievement for confident Tigresses. Bangladesh made history by winning the series for the first time in T20I with one match in hand, defeating the Pakistani women by 20 runs in the second match.
Korvi Rakshand's journey with JAAGO: From Rayer Bazaar slum to Ramon Magsaysay Award
Awards are the marks of recognition and encouragement given in honour of any special achievement in certain categories, which also signify the credibility and speciality of a person or any organization. Among all the prestigious awards recognizing deserving individuals and entities across the world, the Ramon Magsaysay Award, often referred to as the "Nobel Prize of Asia" stands in today's world as a very special, exclusive and significant one. The award was initiated as an annual badge of honour created to commemorate former Philippine President Ramon Magsaysay's example of honesty in administration, fearless service to the people, and realistic idealism within a democratic society. Established in 1957 by the New York-based Rockefeller Brothers Fund in cooperation with the Filippino Government, the Ramon Magsaysay Award celebrates the value of integrity, courage, and selfless service of Asian individuals impacting Asian landscapes.
There is a reason behind elaborating on awards in this write-up, especially the Ramon Magsaysay Award in particular, as Korvi Rakshand, revered for his social activities as the founder of JAAGO Foundation, has been nominated for the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award in the Emergent Leadership category. With this year's award, Korvi Rakshand joins the distinguished list of 344 outstanding individuals and organisations whose selfless service has offered their societies, Asia, and the world, by offering successful solutions to some of the most intractable problems of human development.
JAAGO Foundation Founder Korvi Rakshand wins Ramon Magsaysay Award for dedication to education, social change
Through achieving this badge of honour, he also joined the prestigious Hall of Fame of 13 Bangladeshis who won the award in the past. The list includes prominent scientist Firdausi Qadri (2021), environmentalist and social activist Syeda Rizwana Hasan (2012), Founder and Executive Director of Centre for Disability in Development (CDD) AHM Noman Khan (2010), eminent journalist and Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman (2005), eminent educationist Abdullah Abu Sayeed (2004), prominent social worker Angela Gomes (1999), revered village society reformer Mohammad Yeasin (1988), Co-Founder of the Notre Dame College in Dhaka Father Richard William Timm (1987), legendary pharmacist and Gonoshasthaya Kendra founder Dr Zafrullah Chowdhury (1985), Nobel Laureate and founder of Grameen Bank Dr Mohammad Yunus (1984), Brac founder Sir Fazle Hasan Abed (1980) and Tahrunnesa Abdullah in 1978, recognized for her pioneering role as a social reformer for Muslim women in society.
From educating a little group of children at the capital's Rayer Bazaar slum to being nominated for the 2023 Ramon Magsaysay Award, Korvi Rakshand has been leading a revolutionary social transformation all over Bangladesh. For an afternoon chat to deep dive into Korvi Rakshan's role as a journeyman, Dhaka Courier recently visited his office at JAAGO's Banani headquarters in the capital. The entire office setting in the complex redirects as a memory lane of JAAGO's monumental journey for the past 16 years in the country, and within the short office tour and an exclusive interview with DC, Korvi Rakshand elaborated on the eventual past, present and future state of his esteemed organization.
"The journey of JAAGO Foundation began in 2007 at the Rayer Bazaar slum in the capital, with the initial goal of teaching English to underprivileged children totally free of cost - because we thought this would help them conquer the language barriers in their next career steps, be it inside or outside the country. We were amazed to see the response of those 17 children as they asked about promotions to the next class, which made us realise that they envisioned our initiative as a school, and that led us to begin our first school in the Rayer Bazaar slum. Our efforts began to get recognized by society through several of our activities, but we realised the need to expand our efforts beyond Dhaka. We modelled a curriculum integration of both classroom-based and remote education that tremendously brought success in terms of educating children, especially in the difficult times during the pandemic, and now we are focusing on mainstream quality education and bridging the learning gaps with skill-based education to students who are unable to complete traditional studies. At present, JAAGO works with five focus areas - Education, Youth, Women, Climate Change and Governance, operated by more than 600 employees and more than fifty thousand volunteers across the country."
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The reason behind selecting the name:
"In Bengali, the name 'Jaago' redirects to make someone wake up from sleep. Education is the light beam for society to get up and shine bright, and we consider it our responsibility to initiate the much-needed wake-up call with education. The bold, capitalised wording of JAAGO redirects as an invitation to everyone, to join our movement with love, support and contributions. The vibrant yellow colour is most commonly recognised as the colour of friendship, and that is what we do. We bridge the gap in society as its dedicated friend."
On 'Volunteer for Bangladesh':
Under Rakshand's visionary leadership, the JAAGO Foundation also initiated the Volunteer for Bangladesh (VBD) program in 2011. VBD has become a youth movement involving more than 50,000 leaders actively working for social betterment.
"Although the initial aim and vision of the JAAGO Foundation was to focus on children and education, our responsibility increased upon witnessing the enthusiasm of the youth. We diversified our efforts, addressing various other issues including youth development and women's empowerment and eventually established the 'Volunteers for Bangladesh' (VBD) to bring together proactive individuals who could collaborate and contribute their energy and dedication to our activities. In VBD, our volunteers elect their local leaders and the power is completely decentralised to ensure the desired performances at the grassroots level."
Winning the award:
"I was travelling and was at an airport when I received a WhatsApp text from an unknown number. The person introduced herself as Susan Afan, President of the Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation, and wanted to initiate a video call. Initially, I assumed that she was going to discuss someone else, and it was really surprising to know when they informed me that I got selected for this year's Ramon Magsaysay Award. Turned out that they have been following the activities of JAAGO for the last five years, and knowing all these has been pretty surreal to me."
The present and future:
"In 2020, we obtained NGO licensing, enabling us to collaborate with various international organizations. Currently, we partner with organizations such as UNICEF, USAID, and FCDO, and many donors prefer to remain anonymous. At Jaago, anyone can sponsor a child's schooling by contributing BDT 2,000 each month. We introduced an exclusive scholarship program for women students in public universities, to ease their daily lives and economic conditions. Launched last year, we managed to help 100 students and have enlisted 160 students for 2023."
"Accolades are obviously inspiring, but personally I think this award will help us thrive with more accountability. I would really consider myself successful when I see that our work motivates the youth to believe in their capacity to bring about change, and I firmly believe that our youths are that capable," Korvi Rakshand told DC, ending the conversation with gratitude.
Read more: When local communities unite to co-create a better city: Jhenaidah shows the way
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights call for women, ethnic groups to have greater say in the future of Myanmar
The Myanmar pro-democracy movement must listen to the calls of women and ethnic groups and their vision for federalism, ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) said today.
On June 29, APHR held a closed-door meeting with women’s rights defenders and activists from Myanmar civil society groups in Chiang Mai, Thailand as part of a series of discussions that aim to provide a platform for gendered perspectives on the crisis in the country, including topics such as federalism, patriarchy, and ethnic inclusion.
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As long as there has been a civil war in Myanmar, there has been a struggle for ethnic autonomy, including the rights to their land, language, health care, education and traditions. For women, in addition to the fight for ethnic equality, has also been for gender equality. In the current context of post-coup Myanmar, new challenges have emerged and a new struggle for equality across all genders and ethnicities.
“The commitment and dedication of women to Myanmar’s struggle for democracy is evident across the movement,” said APHR Board Member and former Thai foreign minister Kasit Piromya. “Federalism cannot exist in Myanmar without democracy, and certainly not without the contributions of women.”
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“The history of Burma is rooted in ongoing conflict. When we look at the creators of conflict, it is very clear it is the Myanmar junta. Women have always been involved in revolutionary acts because we believe in genuine peace,” said Moon Nay Li, Joint General Secretary of the Women’s League of Burma .
While pro-democracy bodies, including the National Unity Government, the National Unity Consultative Council and the Committee Representing Pyidaungsu Hluttaw, have called for federalism to defeat the junta, women-led organizations and activists are advocating for a future that is gender-equal as well as federal.
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“Too often, women are told that their pursuits for gender equality are of lesser importance amidst the shared struggle to defeat the junta. These struggles are interconnected as the commitment to end military rule is rooted in ending patriarchal norms and institutions,” said APHR member and member of the Philippines House of Representatives Arlene Brosas. “Women’s rights defenders are critical actors in the pro-democracy movement, and their voices must be amplified to ensure their needs are met and perspectives are heard.”
ASEAN leader acknowledges no progress toward ending Myanmar's deadly civil strife
During the meeting, the women’s rights defenders and activists were very clear that more reflection needed to be done on how the ‘pro-democracy’ movement is currently progressing. For many, this includes inner work, primarily from the Bamar majority, on how to ‘unlearn’ certain attitudes and beliefs which stem from Burmanization and the patriarchy. Calls were also made to the international community to engage with pro-democracy stakeholders, and not the regime.
“The international community, including ASEAN, must support women human rights defenders and their calls for a more inclusive vision of federalism in Myanmar. Defeating the junta is imperative, but without the participation of women and ethnic people, a democratic Myanmar cannot be sustainable,” said APHR Chair and member of Indonesian House of Representatives Mercy Barends.
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No progress in the level of prejudice shown against women in 10 years: UN report
There has been no progress in the level of bias against women over the previous ten years, with nearly nine out of ten men and women still believing such prejudices globally, according to a new UN report released on Monday (June 12, 2023).
UN Development Programme (UNDP) in its most recent Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) says , "Half of people worldwide still believe men make better political leaders than women, and more than 40% believe men make better business executives than women."
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“Social norms that impair women’s rights are detrimental to society more broadly, dampening the expansion of human development,” said Pedro Conceição, head of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office.
A staggering 25 per cent of people believe it is justified for a man to beat his wife, according to the report, reflecting the latest data from the World Values Survey.
The report said that these biases are to blame for the obstacles women encounter, which have taken the form of the denial of women's rights in many regions of the world, the growth of movements opposing gender equality, and an increase in human rights abuses in some countries.
The stark underrepresentation of women in leadership positions is another example of bias in action. Since 1995, the percentage of women serving as heads of State or governments has generally hovered around 10%, and in the job market, they make up less than one-third of executive posts.
The report also sheds light on a broken link between women’s progress in education and economic empowerment.
Also Read: A child or youth died once every 4.4 seconds in 2021: UN report
Women are more skilled and educated than ever before, yet even in the 59 countries where women are now more educated than men, the average gender income gap remains a 39 per cent in favour of men.
“Lack of progress on gender social norms is unfolding against a human development crisis,” Conceição said, noting that the global Human Development Index (HDI) declined in 2020 for the first time on record and again the following year.
“Everyone stands to gain from ensuring freedom and agency for women,” he added.
The UNDP report emphasized that governments have a crucial role in shifting gender social norms, from adopting parental leave policies, that have changed perceptions around care work responsibilities, to labour market reforms that have led to a change in beliefs around women in the workforce.
“An important place to start is recognizing the economic value of unpaid care work,” said Raquel Lagunas, Director of UNDP’s gender team.
The report emphasized that despite the continued prevalence of bias against women, the data shows change can happen.
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An increase in the share of people with no bias in any indicator was evident in 27 of the 38 countries surveyed. The report authors said that to drive change towards greater gender equality, the focus needs to be on expanding human development through investment, insurance, and innovation.
This includes investing in laws and policy measures that promote women’s equality in political participation, scaling up insurance mechanisms, such as strengthening social protection and care systems, and encouraging innovative interventions that could be particularly effective in challenging harmful social norms, patriarchal attitudes, and gender stereotypes.
For example, combatting online hate speech and gender disinformation can help to shift pervasive gender norms towards greater acceptance and equality, according to the report.
The report recommended directly addressing social norms through education to change people’s views, policies and legal changes that recognize the rights of women in all spheres of life, and more representation in decision-making and political processes.
Read more: 90% of countries see decline in human development
2 women killed in separate road accidents in Dinajpur
Two women were killed in separate road accidents at Chirirbandar Upazila and Nawabganj Upazila of Dinajpur district on Friday.
The deceased were identified as Mariam Begum, 50, wife of late Afal Uddin, resident of Khuniyadighi area of Chirirbandar Upazila, and Rashida Begum, 60, wife of late Shamshul Haque, resident of Daudpur area under Nawabganj Upazila.
Nur Alam Siddique, Sub-inspector of Chirirbandar Police Station, said that a motorcycle hit Mariam Begum on Friday morning while she was sweeping dried leaves on the road for cooking fuel at Khuniyadighi area, leaving her critically injured.
Later, locals rescued her and took her to Chirirbandar Upazila Health Complex where she succumbed to her injuries at noon.
Bibhuti Bhushan Roy, Sub-inspector of Nawabganj Police Station, said that pedestrian Rashida Begum was going to Bhaduriya bazar on Friday noon when a picnic bus hit her, leaving her dead on the spot.
How to raise happy, confident, strong girls
Anita (9) hardly finds the scope to play after school, as her parents don’t allow her to leave their home alone on the pretext of security concerns. She can only visit relatives during holidays. Such restrictions are negatively impacting her mental and emotional health.
Neli’s (15) parents always emphasize good grades at school. Participation in creative activities or hanging out with friends is not encouraged by her parents. Neli often feels confined, bored, and lonely. Besides studying, Neli wants to explore new places and take up creative hobbies.
Rita (18) has self-esteem issues over her looks. Negative comments from relatives and neighbors about her appearance are only making it worse.
After completing her master's degree, Zerin (25) wants to focus on her career. But her family wants her to stay home and carry out duties traditionally associated with women.
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These scenarios are not uncommon for girls and women in Bangladesh. Parents often try to limit the liberty and potential of girls due to a range of issues, like insecurity, social prejudice, traditional mindset, etc.
How can we address this situation?
“Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less,” according to Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. In the twenty-first century, women are participating and taking on leadership roles in health, science, sports, technology, commerce, business, education, agriculture, politics, law enforcement etc.
What is the secret to raising strong girls who can defeat fears and develop themselves as confident, happy, and independent persons?
Set positive examples for your girls
Parents should be cautious about their impact on their daughters. Every mother or father who wants to raise a strong daughter should first try to set good examples.
When daughters discover great qualities like honesty, kindness, hard work, perseverance, confidence, etc in their parents, they try to emulate those qualities and develop their personalities accordingly.
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Demonstrate the value of inner beauty
In today’s world, many girls and women become prey to the marketing strategies of the beauty industry. Many girls tend to suffer from inferiority complexes due to their skin complexion, height, weight, and many more reasons. They waste time, effort, and money in the race to meet the social standards of beauty.
Parents need to teach their daughters the value of inner beauty instead of focusing on physical beauty. Introducing daughters to successful women of substance can help them in this regard.
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Living with disabilities
According to WHO, about 16% of the total population on earth has some kind of disability. In Bangladesh, many parents fail to equip their children born with disabilities — physical or intellectual — the skills needed to live a fulfilling life.
If a child has some kind of inability or limitations, like a learning disability or physical disability, the parents should try to accept it and encourage their daughter to overcome the barrier.
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Not limiting her potential
To raise a confident girl, parents should remove the words “that’s for boys” from their vocabulary. Women are exploring careers in diverse sectors that were previously associated with men. If a young girl is told that some professions and tasks are suited only for men, she gets a message of inequality. Such way of thinking can make her emotionally weak and destroy her potential.
When a girl gets mental support for following her dreams, she will never give up. Parents need to encourage their daughters to explore their opportunities. Praising her success will also help her feel unique.
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DigitALL: Role of tech in promoting gender equality highlighted this Women’s Day
International Women’s Day is being observed in the country today (march 08, 2023), as elsewhere across the globe, with focus on gender equality and empowerment of women.
This year’s theme, ‘DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality’, highlights the role of innovative technology in promoting gender equality and meeting the health and development needs of women and girls.
International Women’s Day is observed every year on March 8 to put focus on women’s ongoing struggle for equality.
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Different organizations have chalked out elaborate programmes, including rallies, discussions and cultural events, to mark the day.
Bangladesh's President Md Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina have issued separate messages on the occasion.
Bangladesh Television, Bangladesh Betar and private television channels are airing special programmes while newspapers published supplements highlighting the significance of the day.
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