Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today urged the people to be aware so that no child and woman becomes a victim of repression.
Not only in our country, we have seen that in the developing nations the repression on children and women has spread like a mental disease, so everybody will have to be aware so that no child and woman are tortured, she said.
She said, special attention should be given so that the children and women remain protected.
The Prime Minister was addressing a function as the chief guest on the occasion of the “Begum Rokeya Day” and distribution of Rokeya Padak-2019 at Osmani Memorial Auditorium in the capital on Monday morning (Dec.9).
Sheikh Hasina said, in fact the males inflict repression on the women. So they should think that they’ve also girl child and what will they do if their child is tortured by anybody. That’s why, awareness is very much necessary in this regard.
The Begum Rokeya Day is being observed in the country today marking the 139th birth and 87th death anniversaries of the pioneer of women renaissance Begum Rokeya Shakhawat Hossain.
The Women and Children Affairs Ministry arranged the function with State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Begum Fazilatun Nesa Indira in the chair.
Secretary of the ministry Qamrun Nahar delivered the welcome address and also conducted the Rokeya Padak distribution ceremony.
On behalf of the Rokeya Padak recipients, Begum Selina Khalek spoke expressing her feelings about receiving the award.
At the function, the Prime Minister handed over Rokeya Padak-2019 to five eminent women for their outstanding contributions to women and social development.
The recipients are – Begum Selina Khalek, Principal Shamsun Nahar, Dr Nurunnahar Faizunnessa (posthumous), Miss Papri Basu and Begum Akhtar Jahan.
Pointing out that the government has enacted different laws and policies to prevent child and woman repression, the Premier said only enacting laws is not enough, awareness is also a must to prevent such torture.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has framed the Domestic Violence Prevention Law, the Dowry Prevention Law, the Early Marriage Prevention Law and enacted the Women Development Policy and the National Children Policy for the welfare of the children and womenfolk.
Sheikh Hasina said her government is doing everything necessary to materialize Begum Rokeya’s dream of establishing women rights.
She said Begum Rokeya wanted a woman to become the head of any state and she to move keeping pace with males in the family and society and enjoy equal rights.
We’ve at least ensured it and our womenfolk have started their journey towards the path of light overcoming the darkness, she said.
Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh is marching ahead in terms of women development by becoming a ‘charioteer’ of dreams of Begum Rokeya.
About the rights of women, the Prime Minister said desired development of the country can not be possible leaving half of the population behind.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has been working relentlessly to further develop the country taking male and female together to materialize dreams of the harbinger of women renaissance Begum Rokeya.
Referring to the success of the girls in education, the Premier said the girls are doing good results in the examinations in comparison to the boys as they (girls) are attentive to their education.
Sheikh Hasina said the girls are also demonstrating their success in the games and sports. In this connection, she mentioned clinching gold medals of the Bangladesh women cricket team and female weightlifters in the ongoing South Asian Games in Nepal.
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh is advancing and it will continue to move. We will build Bangladesh as a hunger and poverty-free country as dreamt by the Father of the Nation with the united efforts of all, she said.
Ministers, PM’s advisers, parliament members, women leaders, and high civil and military officials were present at the function.
Earlier, the Prime Minister inaugurated the modernization work of Osmani Memorial Auditorium implemented by the Public Works Department under the Ministry of Housing and Public Works.
Housing and Public Works Minister SM Rezaul Karim was present on the occasion.