Bangladesh Mahila Parishad: 47 years of excellence

It is not the years; it is the miles that have made Bangladesh Mahila Parishad unique.

The 47-year-old organisation always runs an extra mile for the rights of women.

The organisation turned 47 on 4 April.

In these 47 years, the organisation worked as a catalyst for the enactment of the anti-dowry act and prevention of women and children repression act, initiating free education for girls till the eighth grade, amending the inheritance act, and the list goes on.

Mahila Parishad has also been vocal demanding full implementation of the UN Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) since the 80s.

Veteran and celebrated poet Sufia Kamal was the founding president of this organisation.

She served as a president till 1999, the year she passed away.

She probably defined the organisation most aptly: "Mahila Parishad was born as a fighter"

General secretary of Mahila Parishad Maleka Banu said their organisation have not really agreed to the recent child marriage restraint act with special provision.

However, Mahila Parishad's biggest strength is that the government asks for their opinion before enacting any law.

Professor of Central Women's' University Maleka Begum was involved with Mahila Parishad since its beginning.

Reminiscing about the earlier days of Mahila Parishad, she said the organisation has come this far with the generosity of its volunteers.

Some members saved up money and donated it to the organisation in the earlier days.

Now Mahila Parishad has its office in Segunbagicha. 

A total of 14 sub councils run various programmes of Mahila Parishad.

Mahila Parishad is also the secretariat of Samajik Protirodh Committee, an alliance of 70 women and human rights organisations. 

Currently the organisation has 150,000 members.

There are 63 district branches and more than 2000 grassroots branches of Mahila Parishad.

Maleka Banu thinks political parties are taking up policies that go directly against women's rights.

This is the challenge the organisation now faces, she added.   

*This piece, oroginally published in Prothom Alo Bangla print edition, has been rewritten in English by Kohinur Khyum.