Effective protest against violence against women has not yet developed

Following the rally, women participants wearing black cloths marched silently from Shahbagh to the Central Shaheed Minar to protest the growing incidents of violence against women.

Salahuddin Ahmed said, “We have not yet been able to build an effective protest against the violence that women are experiencing across the country. Although strict laws have been enacted in response to certain incidents, proper implementation is missing. Offenders and rapists often exploit legal loopholes to escape punishment. In some cases, law enforcement agencies misuse these strong laws, and we will look into this matter.”

He alleged that a certain political group wants to confine women and hinder their progress. “They say women’s working hours should be reduced. But reducing working hours will only decrease women’s employment opportunities,” he said.

Explaining further, he added, “Women want dignity in their workplaces, fair working hours, and the opportunity to prove their skills. Reducing work hours will discourage offices, courts, and factories from hiring women. This will ultimately shrink women’s employment.”

Salahuddin emphasized that Bangladesh cannot progress unless both men and women who make up equal proportions of the population advance together. “We must ensure women’s social and state security, as well as dignity within families. Only then will the country move forward.”

He also stated that the BNP is formulating future plans based on 31 points to ensure women’s safety in education, workplaces, residences, and all areas of society. “Our goal is to build a progressive Bangladesh with equal participation of men and women,” he said.

Referring to the recent incident in Rajshahi’s Katakhali, where two women were tortured while campaigning with paddy sheaf symbols, Salahuddin condemned the attack. “Our sisters in Rajshahi were beaten with shoes. A case has even been filed against a teacher at Jahangirnagar University who spoke out in their defense,” he added.

“We want a society where all citizens are equal regardless of religion, caste, culture, or language,” he said. “We are all Bangladeshis and must enjoy equal rights as guaranteed by the Constitution. This is the vision we fought and shed blood for.”

The rally was chaired by Begum Selima Rahman, convener of the Women and Children’s Rights Forum and BNP National Standing Committee member. Shirin Sultana, Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, Sanjida Islam Tuli, Rehana Akter Shirin and others also addressed the event, which was conducted by Advocate Nipun Roy Chowdhury, general secretary of Dhaka District BNP and member secretary of the Women and Children’s Rights Forum.