Even having equal powers, reserved seat MPs are backward in ability



Ruhul Amin, Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com
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52 years ago, reserved seats in parliament were introduced to empower women. This time also 50 women have been elected members of Parliament in the reserved seats. However, due to the lack of specific parliamentary seats, the members of the reserved seats have to face various restrictions in their work.

According to the constitution, reserved women seats and general seats MPs are entitled to equal powers and privileges. However, there are some differences in selection. In the 300 general seats of the Parliament, members of parliament are elected through direct popular vote, but in reserved seats, elected members of parliament elect them. However, since nominations for these seats are given on a party basis, there was never any election in Bangladesh for the reserved seats as there were no other candidates.

The constitution does not specifically say anything about the scope of duties or responsibilities of MPs from reserved seats. There should be reserved seats only this is mentioned in the constitution. As a result, the number of reserved seats has changed repeatedly. Members of reserved constituencies are given responsibility for one or two constituencies as they do not have a specific parliamentary seat. From where they get the opportunity to raise the problems of the people of that area in Parliament.

But there are also limitations. Members of reserved women constituencies cannot do any development work they want from their own funds. Local parliamentarians should be consulted in the development work. Again, the reserved women members get less allocation even though they get equal opportunities. So they have less opportunity to work from that side. However, in terms of playing a role in the Parliament, the role of reserved and general seats is equal for all.

Stating that it is time to think about the relevance of reserved seats for women in the context of today's society, political analysts say that when this provision was made, there was no context in which women would contest elections as direct candidates. But in the present context reserved seats are not that relevant.

Analysts also say that the nomination of reserved seats is mostly done for political considerations, if it was not based on merit or experience, they could have played an important role in the Parliament. But because of that, we are not getting the expected results from there. Also, since there is one directly elected Member of Parliament for each seat, the role of women members becomes secondary.

Professor Shamsul Alam, Professor of Government and Politics Department of Jahangirnagar University, told Barta24.com that political parties are still not able to trust women in that way. Those in politics are also not being properly evaluated. That is why women are not interested in politics. Again, girls are more and more attached to the family line, all these reasons are discouraging those who want to do sophisticated politics. Many times those who stand in local level union, upazila or mayoral elections are humiliated and hence they are also discouraged.

He also said that women are being specially taken in reserved seats as a result of which they are also not having the capacity. They cannot go beyond the leader's words where our leader-centric trend is going on. It is not that which will be given according to the decision after discussion among the party, one person-one leader gives them (nominations). As a result, they do not have that freedom. In that case, there is no ability to work. But there are a few who are directly elected.

According to the instructions of the Election Commission, the participation of women in all political parties of Bangladesh has been said to be increased to 33 percent. The quota was supposed to be filled by 2020, but no one was able to fill it. Now that period has been extended till 2030. But even there no visible activities could be observed between the parties. The direct effect of which we can see from national parliament to local body elections. In the recently held 12th Jatiya Sangsad elections, women won only 20 out of 300 seats. Earlier, this number was 22 in the 11th Parliament. Even analyzing the last 4 elections, this number was limited to 18 to 22 people.

After the independence of Bangladesh, the participation of women in the society was less. As a result, women were lagging behind at every level of society, starting from education. From that idea, through the Representation of the People Order of 1972, a special opportunity was given to increase the participation of women in Parliament. But slowly, when the participation of women at all levels of society started to increase at a significant rate, in 2008, the Representation of the People Order of 1972 was amended to require all political parties to have one-third of women in every level of committee by 2020. However, even if it is not fulfilled, the reserved seats in 1972 have increased from 15 to 50 now.

   

Case filed for trafficking Chakma girl to China



District Correspondent, Barta24.com, Rangamati
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The victim's sister approached the police stating that Pahari Chakma picked up the girl and detained her in the capital and tried to smuggle her to China. On Wednesday (May 1) afternoon, a case was filed under the Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act at Naniarchar police station in Rangamati with a request to rescue the girl.

In this case, four women traffickers and four male traffickers have been named as a total of eight people and 4/5 others have been named as accused. Nanyarchar police confirmed the case to the reporter. The police said that they are unable to give the details of the accused for the sake of investigation.

In the statement of the case, the victim's sister mentioned that her younger sister, 21-year-old Beauty Chakma (pseudonym), was taken to Dhaka on April 1 in the name of admitting her to nursing. First, she was taken out of her home in Garjantali village of Burighat union under Naniarchar police station of Rangamati and taken to Jurachari Benuban area of Ghilachari union of Naniarchar. Later, she was taken from there to Dhaka in a microbus.

In the statement of the case, the plaintiff mentioned that beauty Chakma, who is studying nursing, realized that she was in the clutches of women traffickers from the conversation of the accused while going to the microbus.

Proposing the case, the girl's elder sister said that a group of women traffickers led by one Rika Chakma forced Beauty into marriage with a Chinese national and also took offensive pictures with her. She can be smuggled to China at any time from her detention in an undisclosed location in the capital.

On April 7, Beauty told her elder sister this information on the phone and told her to rescue her. The elder sister of the victim filed a case of human trafficking after informing the Naniarchar Police Station in written form.

Azamuddin Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Naniarchar police station confirmed the fact of filing the case and told the reporter that based on the written complaint of the victim's sister, a case has been registered under section 6/7/8 of Human Trafficking and Prevention Act 2018. Case No-1 Date: 01/05/2024 Eng. Necessary action will be taken after investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, Rangamati Additional Superintendent of Police Maruf Ahmed said that the local administration was shaken by the news of the trafficking of mountain women from Chattogram Hill Tracts to China. Rangamati police have already started to catch the members of the trafficking ring.

In response to the reporter's question, he said that the matter of trafficking of women from the mountains to China has come to the attention of Rangamati police in the media recently. The Additional Superintendent of Police also said that the matter is very sensitive and the police is diligently investigating the matter.

Meanwhile, according to the source of the case, it is known that the mastermind behind the trafficking of the mountain Chakma girl to China is a Chakma woman named Rika Chakma living in sector 14 of Dhaka Uttara. Her house is in Rangapani Harma village under Dighinala upazila of Khagrachari district. In this case, one man and one woman from Kamarpara of Sapchari Union under Rangamati Sadar Upazila, two women from Udal Bagan area of Khagrachari, and two men of unknown address have been mentioned in the case statement.

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Woman worker killed by her husband on Labor Day



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Savar(Dhaka)
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The police have arrested the husband of a garment worker in connection with the death of his wife due to a family dispute in Savar's Ashulia on May Day. The police recovered the body of the deceased and sent it for post-mortem.

On Wednesday (May 1) evening, the police recovered the body of the victim from Ashulia Women and Children's Hospital.

Deceased Maina Begum (60) lived in a rented house with her family in North Ghazirachat area of Ashulia. She worked as a cleaner in a local Grameen knitwear garment factory.

Arrested husband Taimur Rahman (65) is a day laborer by profession. Their village home is in Nirapara village of Niamatpur police station in Naogoan district.

Citing the victim's family, the police said that in the afternoon, due to a family quarrel, Maina Begum was beaten up by her husband. Later, when she was taken to the hospital with injuries, the doctor on duty declared her dead. The police also said that the body of the deceased had the marks of punch injuries.

Sub- Inspector (SI) of Ashulia police station Badiuzzaman told Barta 24.com that the dead body has been recovered and sent for autopsy. There was a quarrel between them due to the financial crisis in the family. The process of filing a case is ongoing with the victim's family as the plaintiff.

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The coolies rush to the platform as the train's whistle sounds



Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Rajshahi
Photo: Barta24.com

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Rajshahi Railway Station. which has become the heart of daily life for many. Here Ghulam Mustafa, Afzal, Sharif, Kamal and about 40 coolies run with different trains every day. Their job is to carry passengers' heavy luggage. At the sound of the train's whistle, they ran to the platform, in one breath.

Their competition begins to see who can get into the train compartment first. Who can lift the goods in his troly first. They stand in front of the train and ask the passengers to carry the goods. Their lives have been going on like this for ages, months after months.

Not only at Rajshahi railway station; This image is seen in medium to large railway stations almost all over the country.

This daily rush is not only a part of their professional life, but it is an essential part of their family life.

The workers said that with the increase in the price of goods, their income is not increasing. The income is three to four hundred takas a day. But; It costs 500 to 600 taka. It is running out of water to bring salt. But they are happy to earn in halal way even with low income.

Golam Mostafa, who has been involved in this profession for the past 45 years, said that our daily run is actually a struggle for bread and sustenance for our family. A train is a symbol of our hope.

These porters not only carry the luggage but also provide a reliable support to the passengers. The scope of work of these employees of Rajshahi station is wide ranging from arrival to departure of trains. Another worker (coolie) named Afzal said, We develop a bond with each passenger, which in some cases gets stronger with time.

Another worker Kamal said, the risk in this profession is not less; we carry heavy baggage every day, which puts a strain on our physical health. But this work for family is essential for us.

This daily scene at Rajshahi railway station is not just a picture of a platform; it is a familiar scene at many railway stations in Bangladesh, where coolies like Golam Mostafa go out of their way to serve passengers every day.

These regular scenes at Rajshahi railway station are similar to other railway stations in Bangladesh, where coolies are fighting for their families every day. Their life and professional responsibilities are like a mocking challenge, which they need not only for financial security, but also for their contribution as part of a society.

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"The poor have no hot or cold, what will they eat if they don't work"



Gulshan Jahan Sarika, Staff Correspondent, Barta24.com, Dhaka
Photo: Barta24.com

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People's life has been disturbed by the intense heat wave that is sweeping over the country. Everyone, young and old, is short of breath in the intense heat. Although no one goes out of the house except for urgent needs, the workers are working in such heat because of their stomachs. One of them is Anjura Begum, who is fifty years old.

Anjura Begum, who works as a mason in the scorching heat, told Barta24.com that her entire family is supported by her earnings alone. Even though she cannot work for a long time due to her age, she continues to work hard while looking after her family.

If you work in the hot sun for a long time, you will get sick. She said, the poor do not have hot and cold, what will they eat if they do not work? I have to run the family with the money that I earn from daily wages.

She also said, I don't have energy like before, but because of my stomach I have to go out every day in search of work. When there is work, food comes, if not, you have to starve.

She lamented that it is difficult to work due to age. People don't even want to employ her because of her age. Even if you go for old age pension, you will not get government pension because you are not yet old. If she does not come to work, the stove does not burn. It is very difficult to run a family with the money you get as a daily wage.

Anjura Begum, who lost everything and came from Shyamnagar in Satkhira, said that her husband used to work in fishing and collecting honey in the Sundarbans. They had their own houses and cultivated land. But in the happy life, sadness came in the flood of 2000. The river dam broke and the house was washed away in one night. Destitute, she took her husband's hand with her two little daughters and moved to Satkhira town. There, the two started working as day laborers to run the family from a rented house. After a few years, the husband fell ill. He was diagnosed with terminal cancer. Then pregnant Anjura Begum fell on the stone.

After selling everything that was in the village, she treated her husband with a sigh and said that her husband died in 2013 after a few months of the birth of her little girl in poverty. A well-to-do family offers accommodation in exchange for domestic work. She turned grief into strength to run the family in the pursuit of livelihood and started working as a laborer.

Anjura Begum said, we do not work less than men. Yet our women workers are being paid less than men. Why are we discriminated against?

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