Political parties urged to prioritise women’s and children’s rights

A high-level dialogue held in Dhaka today, Sunday, brought together seven leading national and international organisations to call on political parties to prioritise women’s and children’s rights in their forthcoming election manifestos.

Organised under the banner of the Coalition for Equality and Justice, the event convened political leaders, civil society representatives, development practitioners and members of the media for a collective push toward a more inclusive national agenda ahead of the upcoming National Parliament Election. During the event, the coalition formally handed over its proposed position paper on women’s and children’s rights to representatives of political parties, urging its integration into their electoral commitments.

The dialogue forms part of the coalition’s wider effort to strengthen collaboration between civil society and political actors, emphasising that political commitments must translate into concrete policy action and sustained investment to ensure a fairer, more resilient and inclusive future for women and children in Bangladesh. The coalition comprising Manusher Jonno Foundation, Breaking the Silence, JAAGO Foundation, Save the Children in Bangladesh, WaterAid Bangladesh, Plan International Bangladesh and Oxfam in Bangladesh was established to ensure that the lived experiences, needs and aspirations of women and children are meaningfully reflected in political agendas.

During opening remarks, speaking on behalf of the coalition, Shaheen Anam, Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, noted: “Bangladesh has made notable progress in areas such as gender parity in primary education, maternal and child health, and poverty reduction.

However, without sustained political commitment and accountable governance, many of these gains remain fragile and at risk of reversal. The upcoming election presents a critical opportunity to translate progress into lasting change by placing women’s and children’s rights firmly at the centre of political priorities.”

A short advocacy video was then screened, portraying ground realities and amplifying the voices of communities most affected by inequity and exclusion. This set the stage for the presentation of the coalition’s position paper, Advancing Women’s and Children’s Rights: A Civil Society Push for Inclusive Election Manifestos, jointly presented by Plan International Bangladesh and Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF). The presentation outlined evidence of rising school dropout rates, pervasive gender-based violence, early marriage, hazardous child labour, digital harassment, inadequate WASH facilities, widespread malnutrition and climate-induced displacement.

This was followed by reflections from representatives of political parties, who acknowledged the importance of placing women’s and children’s rights at the centre of national development priorities. They recognised the need to strengthen policy frameworks and resource allocation to address persistent inequalities and expressed a willingness to engage in continued dialogue with the coalition to explore how its recommendations could be meaningfully integrated into party policies and election commitments.

Senior management representatives from Oxfam in Bangladesh, Save the Children in Bangladesh, WaterAid Bangladesh, Breaking the Silence, Plan International Bangladesh and the JAAGO Foundation shared their reflections, highlighting the growing challenges faced by women and children as a result of climate shocks, economic pressures, shrinking civic space and entrenched social norms. They called for stronger enforcement of laws, increased investment in public services, expanded social protection for marginalised families and enhanced accountability mechanisms to ensure that commitments translate into tangible change.

The speakers emphasised that political parties must adopt rights-based, evidence-driven approaches and place women and children at the centre of national development priorities.

The coalition reaffirmed its commitment to sustained collaboration with political parties and national stakeholders. They emphasised that, “The wellbeing, safety and empowerment of women and children must not remain at the margins of political discourse, noting that today’s engagement demonstrated a shared recognition of the urgent need for their rights to stand at the heart of Bangladesh’s development agenda.”