The Sixth Five Year Plan (2011 - 2015) of Bangladesh government, which is the national medium term development plan committed to transforming Bangladesh into a middle - income country by 2021 (also known as Vision 2021), considers women’s engagement in political and economic activities as a cross - cutting issue with women’s empowerment as one of the main drivers of transformation.
To expedite women’s economic empowerment, comprehensive initiatives have been undertaken by providing extensive training, creating job opportunities, ensuring participation in labour market and providing support to small and medium women entrepreneurs. Extensive social safety net programmes have been undertaken to provide various kinds of allowances, such as destitute women allowance, maternity and lactating mother allowance, disabled women allowance, divorced women allowance etc. Vulnerable Group Feeding (VGF) is carried out for ensuring food security to vulnerable extreme poor women.
di_01 - 09141For the economic empowerment of rural women, collateral free micro - credit is given with 5% service charge. Women entrepreneurs receive 10% of the Small Enterprise Fund and 10% industrial plots. Currently more than 3 million women are working in the RMG sector alone. Bangladesh has enhanced its women labor force from 24% in 2010 to 36% in 2013. Like the year before, gender sensitive budgets were prepared for 40 ministries in the recently passed Budget 2014 - 15, and a special allocation of TK. 1 billion was provided for development of women.
Keeping in mind the needs of mothers, the current government extended maternity leave for expecting mothers from four months to six months. Bangladesh has made tremendous success in cutting down maternal mortality rate (MMR) drastically. MMR has declined by more than 66% over the last two decades and is dropping around 5. 5% each year which makes Bangladesh highly likely to achieve the target of 143 deaths per 100, 000 live births under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2015.
According to a 2013 survey by different UN organisations, the estimated MMR in Bangladesh stood at 170 per 100, 000 live births. The current government plans to reduce MMR to 63 per 100, 000 live births by 2030. Steps have been taken for delivery of primary healthcare services through community clinics to rural, marginal and vulnerable women. Model women friendly district hospitals have been established. Maternal Health Voucher Schemes provides a voucher package of three ante - natal checkups, safe delivery under skilled birth attendants, one post - natal checkup and transport cost.
Bangladesh was the first country in South Asia to achieve gender - parity in primary education. Achieving this milestone is a result of effective public policy, resource allocation and strong commitment from public and non - government sectors.
Primary education is compulsory and free for all children aged between age 6 and 10. All children attending primary and secondary schools receive textbooks free of cost. The education of girls up to grade XII in public institutions is also free. To encourage girl students to continue their studies and also to reduce drop - out rates, stipends are awarded. This proactive strategy for girls’ education resulted in gender parity. For example, in primary schools, female enrolment is now 51% and in secondary schools it is now 53%, while male is 47 percent, a sharp departure from even just a few years ago when male was 65% and female was 35%.
In December 2010, Parliament passed the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010, which was the first express recognition of the problem of domestic violence in Bangladesh by the State. This Act signified Bangladesh’s fulfillment of state obligations under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) as well as Article 28 of the Constitution, guaranteeing special measures for the advancement of women and children. In order to effectively implement this law, the government has formulated the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Rules 2013.
Other laws enacted by the current government for combating violence against women include Prevention and Restraint of Human Trafficking Act 2012 and the Pornography Control Act 2011.
In order to enhance women’s empowerment, the number of seats reserved for women in the National Parliament have been increased by 5, and made 50. There has been a sharp increase in the number of women parliamentarians elected (20% of total seats) in the last national election. To create opportunities for women’s increased participation in politics, reserved seats for women in union council, Upazila Parishad and municipalities have been increased to one third of the total and women are to be directly elected to those seats. More than 12, 000 women were elected as public representatives in the last round of local government elections. Women’s participation in local level elections was perhaps one of the greatest milestones for Bangladesh.
At present in Bangladesh, the Prime Minister, Leader of the Opposition, Speaker and Deputy Leader of the House are all women. Number of women among the Justices of the Supreme Court, top positions of the administration – secretaries, additional secretaries, joint secretaries, deputy commissioners, top positions of police, armed forces and UN peacekeepers, indicates improvement in women’s empowerment. This has been possible due to a reserve quota created by this government for women employment at every level of administration to enhance women participation in government jobs.
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