Speakers at a post-rally women’s gathering discussion here Friday unequivocally called for forging social resistance to free the society from violence against women to take the nation forward successfully.
They viewed collective efforts alongside changing mindset towards women could be the effective means of attaining the cherished goal. There is no alternative to end child marriage and dowry to culminate the violence against women, they added.
Partner, an organization committed towards family development, organised the discussion at Public Library premises in the city to mark its ‘Village Organisations Conference’ in observance of the Women Repression Prevention Fortnight-2013.
Deputy Commissioner of Rajshahi Mejbah Uddin Chowdhury addressed the discussion as chief guest with Jaituna Khatun, President of Partner, in the chair.
In his address of welcome, Abdus Sobhan Mian, Executive Director of Partner, gave an overview of his organisation’s interventions towards mitigating violence against women.
The discussants mentioned that ensuring equal rights on education, training, science and technology is the precondition to women empowerment. Apart from this, overall national development could not be possible until the womenfolk are educated and ensured all other fundamental rights they deserve.
Chief Guest Mejbah Chowdhury underscored the need for substantial reduction of the violence against women and favoured for their social awareness and development of socio-economic condition to this end.
He said the incidents of violence against women and stalking have increased to a great extent in the last few years.
Increasing social crimes has created a grave concern among the guardians and others concerned and called for a collective effort to address the crime through reducing disparity against women in the society, he said.
Likewise, the violence could be reduced to a greater extent through empowerment of women socially and educationally, Chowdhury added. –BSS, Rajshahi
