We congratulate Captain Nazia Nusrat Hossain and Captain Shahrina Bintea Anwar on becoming the first female pilots in the Bangladesh Army aviation group.
They follow in the path of the pioneering female flight officers serving in the Bangladesh Air Force as an example of the rapid strides women are making in our armed forces.
Women soldiers and police officers are playing a growing role in Bangladesh’s contributions to UN Peacekeeping Missions. Their example is an inspiration to all people in Bangladesh.
As a nation, we still need to do more to encourage and help all women achieve their full potential in education, employment, and society.
Even though Bangladesh has a proud tradition of women occupying leadership roles, including in the most senior political positions in the land, glass ceilings and institutionalised inequality still act as powerful barriers towards fulfilling the national goal of empowering women.
It is important, then, to celebrate the accomplishments of these women pilots, as the inspiration they provide as role models can help change societal attitudes towards women’s achievements.
If, as we hope, Bangladesh is to reach a position where it will no longer be newsworthy to celebrate female firsts, as equality will become the expected norm, it is vital that attitudes continue to change.
Reforming attitudes is essential to raise expectations for women and young girls and to help root out discrimination.
It is also crucial to helping the economy grow further. The whole country will benefit if we can prevent women’s skills and talents from being held back and use all the untapped potential of our population.
Empowering females so more women participate in and take leadership roles across business and the workplace, is essential to our country’s future progress.
We hope the example provided by the army’s two new pilots will inspire many others across the land so that they are the only the first of many.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
