‘Her Vote, Her Seat’ campaign launched to strengthen women’s political participation

A national campaign titled ‘Her Vote, Her Seat’ was launched in the capital on Tuesday to strengthen women’s political participation and leadership. The launch event and a national stakeholder engagement workshop were held at Platinum Grand Hotel in Banani, said a press release.

The campaign is being implemented by JAAGO Foundation Trust and the Welfare Association of Development Alternative (WADA), with support from UN Women and the United Nations electoral assistance programme. Development partners, UN agencies, women leaders, youth representatives, civil society organisations and journalists attended the event.

According to Election Commission data, women made up 49.24 per cent of the electorate in the 13th parliamentary election. Only seven women, however, were directly elected across the 300 constituencies, or 2.33 per cent of the seats. Eighty-five women contested that election. After nominations to the 50 seats reserved for women were completed, the number of women in parliament rose to 57, which means the larger share of women’s representation comes through party nomination rather than a direct vote.

Social norms, family restrictions, safety concerns, online harassment, misinformation and unequal access to resources continue to stand in the way of women entering politics. The campaign’s baseline assessment and stakeholder consultations drew on experience from eight districts: Kurigram, Bogura, Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Cox’s Bazar, Khulna, Satkhira and Patuakhali.

The campaign’s message is that reaching a seat is not the end goal. What counts is the ability to speak, to decide and to carry influence from that seat. Work will focus on three areas: women’s access to political and civic spaces, their active presence in those spaces, and their influence over decisions.

A symbolic presentation titled ‘Seat Story: From Voice to Seat’ traced a young woman’s path from ordinary life to leadership. As she took a symbolic seat at the close, the presentation made the point that the power to decide from a seat matters more than reaching it.

Shararat Islam, Communication Analyst at UN Women, said, “Women’s political participation becomes meaningful only when they are not merely present at the decision-making table, but are able to express their views, influence decisions and lead. Families, communities and all stakeholders must work together to make that possible.”

Irene Sultana, Deputy Director (Research) at the National Institute of Mass Communication, said, “The media is playing an important role in advancing women’s political participation, but a great deal still falls outside our field of vision. There is room for the media to do more here. Women’s safety also has to improve, particularly online.”

Susan Vize, UNESCO Representative to Bangladesh and Head of Office, said, “We have to think first about how women will come forward. What their entry point will be, where they will start from, how the community will come forward to support them. These questions need answers first.”

Iftikhar Ul Karim, Programme Head at JAAGO Foundation Trust, said, “Women’s political participation is not a women’s issue alone. It is a foundation of an effective and inclusive democracy. A seat is not the final goal; what matters most is the capacity to create change from that seat.”

The organisers said ‘Her Vote, Her Seat’ is an entirely non-partisan initiative and does not work in favour of any political party or ideology. The campaign will run dialogues, awareness activities and evidence-based communication.