Trained women arbiters settle disputes successfully

But a woman shalishkar (arbiter), who had received training on arbitration, came to her aid. Nazma finally described the agonising ordeals she went through after her marriage as her father could not pay dowry. Her story helped the arbiters work out a peaceful solution to the dowry dispute.

"The chairman and elderly people of the village, who had no training, generally conduct the arbitration. And most of the time women are deprived of justice and the powerful people go unpunished," said Monwara Khatun Minu, a Shalishkar of Nandalalpur union in Kushtia.

"But the training under a Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) project styled 'Gender, Knowledge, Networking and Human Rights Intervention in Bangladesh' has helped us conduct the arbitration neutrally and successfully," she said a discussion at Cirdap auditorium yesterday.

BLAST initiated the four-year project in 2003 to enhance knowledge and raise awareness about gender equality and women's rights at the household and community levels.

At the discussion on 'Gender and Human Rights Intervention in Rural Community' organised by BLAST, the speakers highlighted the achievements, challenges and future plans with regard to the project.

Though women arbiters have been working efficiently to settle disputes in 12 districts, they are facing various obstacles, said Mirza M Hasan, team leader of BLAST.

"Exploitation have been going on across the country since long. As the people are not aware of their rights, they cannot understand how their rights are being violated," said Justice Naimuddin Ahmed, chairperson of BLAST.

The media can play an important role in raising awareness and the media persons can help the rights organisations work better by digging out the facts, he said.

Executive Director of BLAST Taslimur Rahman presided over the discussion while Senior Adviser to Norwegian Embassy Zakia K Hassan and Project Coordinator Uma Chowdhury were also present at the discussion.