‘Silent revolution taking place’

A total of 141 newly recruited officers are taking part in the workshop organised by the Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence, a project of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).

The training will focus on gender, reproductive health and women's rights issues and office management.

Speakers at the inaugural session said that although the economic growth is slow, a silent revolution in women empowerment is taking place in the country.

Speaking as chief guest, Women and Children Affairs Minister Khurshid Jahan Haque called on the women officers to change their mentality and work as male officers by overcoming social obstacles.

She also asked them to collect information of all incidents of women repression, trafficking and rape at the upazila level.

The government will take further steps to prevent repression of women across the country on the basis of such information, she added.

Bangladesh achieved worldwide recognition for its role in the advancement of microcredit, said secretary of the ministry M Haider Ali.

The main duty of the women officers would be to distribute loan and recover those properly, he said.

Assistant representative of UNFPA Nurul Amin, Acting Director General of Directorate of Women Affairs Abu Taher, Additional Director of the directorate Mohammad Iqbal were also present.