Implement CEDAW Convention to ensure gender equality: speakers

Speakers at a press conference today urged the government to implement the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) fully to ensure gender equality.
They also pointed out that despite the government’s commitment to gender equality, the continued reservation on Article 2 of the CEDAW Convention has hindered the achievement of true equality.
It is to mention that Article 2 concerns the modification of social and cultural patterns to eliminate prejudices and practices that are based on the idea of inferiority or superiority of either sex.
They made the remarks at the event organised by the Social REsistance Com mittee at the Jatiya Press Club.
The event was presided over by Dr Fauzia Moslem, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.
In her address, Dr Moslem emphasised the crucial role of the CEDAW Convention in establishing gender equality in Bangladesh.
“Ensuring the state’s accountability in implementing the CEDAW Convention is essential. It is necessary to monitor the steps being taken by the government to fulfil this responsibility,” she stated.
Dr Moslem urged all sectors of society to actively participate in the ongoing social movement for gender equality.
She also highlighted the need for the women’s movement to adopt specific programmes aimed at achieving their objectives and encouraged the youth to lead these efforts with the spirit of the liberation war.
Zinat Ara Haque, national coordinator of the We Can Alliance, presented the written statement on behalf of the Social Resistance Committee.
Other notable speakers included Maleka Banu, General Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad; Nurun Nahar Begum of ActionAid; Mahbub Akhtar of Citizen Initiative; Shahida Parveen Shikha of the Trade Union Center; Shahida Ferdous Munni of Steps Towards Development; gender specialist Ferdousi Sultana; Shamsun Nahar Polly of the Campaign for Popular Education; Mahbuba Akhtar of BLAST; Salma Mahbub of B-SCAN.
The event was moderated by Shahnaz Sumi, director of Bangladesh Nari Pragati Sangha.