Published in The Daily Star on Saturday, 19 April 2014; view more news reports and photos on the event.
Mahila Parishad celebrates 44th founding anniversary
Staff Correspondent
Bangladesh Mahila Parishad celebrated their 44th founding anniversary yesterday at the hall room of the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh, which was filled from corner to corner with women who have been advocating women’s rights at grassroots level.
Each had a fascinating story to tell about how they were raising their voices to further women’s rights in their localities.
Sumi Akhter, hailing from Arichpur in Tongi, had decided that she had enough after her husband left her and married another woman.
“I got affiliated with Bangladesh Mahila Parishad as a way of protest. I built a new life by becoming a teacher at a school for working women. Most of my students are either bus helpers or workers at steel spoon factories. I am also a successful single mother of a six year old daughter,” said Sumi.
The theme for this year’s celebration was “There is no alternative to professional skills for the 21st century challenges”.
“We have still not managed to build up such life-skills among all our women,” said Maleka Banu, general secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad.
Country-representative of UN Women, a United Nations women body, Christine Susan Hunter, and President of BMP Ayesha Khanam also spoke at the event.