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Building the Road by WalkingExperience of Bangladeshi Women
Rokeya Kabir Executive Director
Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha-BNPS
www.bnps.org
Bangladesh:Economy Which Doesn’t Support Women
Neo-liberal free market approach Dominated by profit maximizing business entities Financial policies heavily influenced by
International Financial Institutions (IFIs) Agricultural productions are gradually diverted
to cater the export market instead of supporting the local needs and protecting ecology (e.g. shrimp cultivation for export)
Agricultural sector still provides the livelihoods of the majority populace of the country
Bangladesh:Economy Which Doesn’t Support Women cont.
Grabbing of productive land, water bodies, and forest by commercial ventures risking the food security and livelihood of the poor people
Disproportionate price hike of food, fuel and essential goods contrary to the increase of income level of common people
Widening gap between poor and rich Non-profit organizations exist but very
limited grassroots cooperative ventures
State of Poor and Women
Poor and women are marginalized
Male domination and class division enhances the vulnerability of women and shrinks the livelihood options
State of Poor and Women
Basic services like education, healthcare, water supply, and sanitation are almost non-existent in public sector
Low literacy rate of women
0
200
400
600
800
1000
1200
1400
1600
Public PrimarySchool
Private PrimarySchool
Madrasa
Series1
Growth of Public and Private Primary Schools and Madrasahs since 1973
State of Poor and Women
Gradual environmental degradation threatens wellbeing and livelihood options
State of Poor and Women
Women’s labor are subject to unfair exploitation in informal and formal economy
State of Poor and Women Women became the
source of cheap labor for export sector (garment, electronics, shrimp) and pushed to labor intensive low end production
Non-implementation of ILO convention for minimum wage
Organized for Change: Experience of BNPS
600 solidarity groups of 12,000 grassroots women in rural and urban areas
Network of over 100,000 support groups consist of community people, professional organizations and cultural activist groups
Organized for Change: Experience of BNPS cont
Women solidarity groups fight the social, political, economic, and environmental odds they experience
Grassroots women gain self-confidence to:
Acquire skills for local level productive activities
Negotiate with state and non-state actors for mobilizing financial and non-financial resources
Grassroots women gain self-confidence to:
ensure access to local market as women producer
create space for participation in community level institutions of governance
Grassroots Women Form the Triangle
Economic Triangle: developing skill on income generation, entrepreneurship an market education
Grassroots Women Form the Triangle
Socio-political Solidarity: Collective voice for enabling policy, resisting VAW, dowry, child marriage….
Grassroots Women Form the Triangle
Ecological Solidarity: analysing vulnerability, resilience to climate change…
Shared Values for Change
Values that groups promote Social & economic transformation of the
society Cooperation and collective power to promote
social and economic justice Pro poor and gender just Community
governance Democratic participation (economic, social &
political self-determination for marginalized)
Ecological responsibility Pluralism & diversity (gender, ethnic,
religious, ability)
What Else the Grassroots Need?
Structural, policy, legal and technical support is imperative for the survival and revitalization of women’s solidarity economic endeavors
Affirmative actions for women’s entry to bureaucracy, parliament, political parties
What Else the Grassroots Need?
Policy supports required at national level:
gender responsive national budget laws ensuring women’s equal rights fair wages and decent working condition equal inheritance in property women friendly financial policy women’s greater participation in
economic and political domain
Our Limitations, Our Challenges
Team up with diverse groups (profession, trade, craftwork and skills)
Build up regional and international solidarity to influence the global policy making bodies which effects the lives of people
Threat of religious extremism which reinforce the pressure on women to confine them within the households
Making political forces, civil society groups and social movement gender sensitive