Be responsible towards family

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the country's women to be responsible towards family and society while trying to realise their rights.

“Your [women] rights have to be realised but there shouldn't be any unrest in the family in the name of realising rights,” she said.

The prime minister said this while addressing a programme marking Begum Rokeya Day, and conferring Begum Rokeya Padak 2018 at the Bangabandhu International Conference Centre.

She said everyone has responsibilities to family and society, and everyone should understand those. “There should be a sense of proportion... this is the most important virtue.”

Sheikh Hasina asked the women of the country to look after their families while attaining their respective positions at the workplace.

Recalling the great role played by women during the Liberation War, Hasina said Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had taken various steps for women's emancipation and their development alongside rehabilitating those who suffered brutalities in the hands of Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators.

Following in the footsteps of Bangabandhu, she said, her government paid special attention to the development of poor, marginalised and underprivileged women to expedite their empowerment.

Hasina said her government appointed the first woman secretary, superintendent of police, officer-in-charge of police and justice, and they all were doing excellent job.

Hasina also mentioned the increment of maternity leave to six months, setting up of daycare centres to help working mothers, inclusion of mother's name mandatory in documents, enactment of Family Violence (prevention and protection) Act, Child Marriage (Prevention) Act, construction of hostels for working women, VGD programme in 4547 unions and community clinic for rural women.

The Ministry of Children and Women Affairs organised the programme with State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Meher Afroze Chumki in the chair.

Zinnatun Nesa Talukder, a recipient of the Rokeya Padak 2018, also spoke on the occasion. Four other winners of the prestigious award are eminent Professor Zohra Anis, Shila Roy, Rama Chowdhury (posthumous) and Rokeya Begum (posthumous).

The Prime Minister handed over the medals, cheques of Tk 2 lakh and certificates among the winners and their family members.

The government introduced the award in 1995 to honour Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, a pioneer of women's rights movement in undivided Bengal.