In the latest parliament, only seven women have been elected from the 300 general seats, representing just over two per cent of the total. To increase women’s participation in politics, the barriers to developing women’s leadership must be removed. The nomination process for the 50 reserved seats for women in parliament will begin soon, and opportunities should be created so that women in these seats can play a strong role in parliament.
Speakers made these remarks at a roundtable organised by Democracy International (DI) and Prothom Alo on Saturday. They also said that political parties must work together to counter the spread of misinformation and disinformation online targeting women, which discourages their participation in politics.
The roundtable, titled “Women’s Political Empowerment: Effective Representation in Parliament and Digital Security,” was held at the Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar in the capital.
Taking part in the discussion, Professor Moudud Alamgir Pavel, convener of the BNP media cell, said the party has always maintained a positive attitude towards developing women’s political leadership.
Of the seven women elected directly to parliament this time, six are from the BNP and one is a former BNP activist. If women are viewed as citizens rather than merely as women, their demands will not be perceived as requests for sympathy or charity.
He added that the BNP will nominate candidates for the reserved seats through a transparent process, where competent female activists will be seen.
Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, assistant secretary general of Jamaat-e-Islami and head of its central publicity and media wing, said two women had been in power in the country for more than 30 years and held immense authority, yet many issues concerning women remain unresolved.
He argued that the existing political structure must change to address these problems. Strengthening the local government system is also necessary, he added.
Monira Sharmin, convener of the National Citizen Party (NCP)’s women wing ‘Narishakti’, said political parties have shown considerable reluctance regarding women’s political empowerment. Parties must overcome this reluctance. Instead of distributing seats among relatives, nominating capable women from grassroots levels for the reserved seats could make those seats a positive platform for women.
Tasnim Jara, an independent candidate from Dhaka-9 constituency in the 13th parliamentary elections, said online violence reduces women’s presence in politics. Political opponents often use coordinated online attacks as a weapon to limit the number of women politicians.
In her welcome remarks, Catherine Cecil, chief of party for Democracy International (DI), said opinion surveys conducted by the organisation show that if women are absent from the decision-making table, their valuable perspectives are lost, which can weaken the quality of government decisions. Since the July mass uprising, the number of women interested in participating in public life has declined, largely due to online harassment. Therefore, barriers to women’s leadership must be removed.
Referring to cyber harassment, Shamima Parveen, assistant inspector general of police, presented data from the CID’s cyber unit, saying that around 170,000 complaints have been received so far regarding cyber harassment, 60 per cent of which involve women. About 3,000 complaints have been investigated, but only 40 have resulted in verdicts. She added that while technology is increasingly being used to commit crimes, the police face shortages in manpower and capacity to detect and take action against such offences.
At the roundtable, Nilufar Chowdhury Moni, a former BNP lawmaker from the reserved women’s seats, said women’s nominations in elections and their representation in parliament should have increased over time, yet the number has actually declined. Political parties should change their mindset and ensure that women who have actively worked for their parties on the streets receive nominations rather than those chosen through patronage.
Mardia Mumtaz, a member of the Jamaat-e-Islami, said social norms still restrict women’s political positions. Overcoming these barriers is not the responsibility of women alone, political parties must also send clear messages within their organisational structures that women are valued.
Rasheda Begum Hira, a two-term BNP lawmaker from reserved seats, said the Election Commission requires political parties to ensure 33 per cent representation of women at every organisational level, but parties have yet to meet this condition. To strengthen women’s position in politics, she suggested making it mandatory for at least one of the top three posts in local party committees in every district to be held by a woman.
Tajnuva Jabeen, organiser of the new political platform Alternatives, said political parties must acknowledge the severity of online violence against women politicians. Parties are often so absorbed in competing with one another that online violence against women within their own parties receives little attention. Parties should issue statements of support and provide assistance to women facing such attacks.
Essential for development and strong democracy
The keynote paper at the discussion was presented by Lipika Biswas, senior director at Democracy International. The paper stated that women’s political participation is not only a matter of equality but also a condition for good governance, development and a strong democracy.
According to World Bank data for 2024, providing equal opportunities for women could increase gross domestic product (GDP) by up to 20 per cent. Meanwhile, data from UNDP suggests that if women hold 30 per cent of parliamentary seats, maternal and child mortality could decrease by up to 15 per cent. Currently, women hold only 2.36 per cent of the general seats in parliament, it added.
Aminul Ehsan, deputy chief of party for Democracy International, cited findings from a recent opinion survey conducted by the organisation, saying there are capable women leaders within political parties who have the potential to win elections. However, they are often blocked at a certain stage. Political parties should break this structure, provide incentives and build a pipeline of competent female leaders.
Zulkar Nain, research coordinator at Fact Watch, said the scale of online attacks and misinformation targeting women in politics has declined after the election. This indicates that the aim had been to successfully push women out of the electoral field. He suggested that political parties should discuss strategies to effectively respond to misinformation.
Ayesha Kabir, head of the English web section of Prothom Alo, said women are facing severe harassment online, and there is also a growing tendency to accept it as normal, which is even more alarming. Out of fear of harassment, many women are withdrawing from public life, while perpetrators continue to move freely.
The roundtable was moderated by Firoz Choudhury, assistant editor of Prothom Alo.