Feminist Daily News Wire
March 13, 2008
Bangladesh Government Abandons Women's Rights Policy
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The government of Bangladesh retreated from a policy that would have
given women equal property rights. Last week, the military backed
government introduced a policy that would give women equal rights to
inherit property. However, Agence France Presse (AFP) reports that
Muslim clerics protested the policy, claiming it violates sharia law.
Ayesha Khanam, general secretary of the Bangladesh Mahila Parishad,
told the Daily Star that the current political situation has caused
religious-based parties to view advances in women's rights as
threatening.
Shirin Akhter, president of Working Women, told AFP, "The policy spells
out clearly that women should have equal rights to property, which
includes inheritance. Our hope is that the government does not get
distracted by any so-called religious group."
Bangladesh's population is 90 percent Muslim, but its legal system is
largely secular. Women's rights groups drew attention to the
disparities in the law?s treatment of men and women over the weekend in
honor of International Women's Day, according to the Independent
Bangladesh. As well as fighting for equal rights to property, women
called for setting aside a third of parliamentary seats for women in
the National Women Development Policy 2008. The policy has frequently
been under attack by extremist religious groups. Women's rights groups
also called for similar wages for men and women in similar jobs,
reformation of the criminal justice delivery system, and an end for
violence against women.
Media Resources: Agence France Presse 03/12/08; Daily Star 03/12/08;
Independent Bangladesh 03/09/08
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