Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has appealed to women to be with her in implementing war crimes verdicts.
“We have started their (war criminals) trials. I want cooperation from mothers and sisters to implement the verdicts,” she said while distributing the Begum Rokeya Awards on Monday.
Hasina recalled women’s contribution to the 1971 War of Independence.
“December is the month of victory of the Bengali nation,” she said as she began her speech. “We clinched the final victory this month at the cost of three million martyrs and the sacrifice of 200,000 mothers and sisters.
“We hate the war criminals and their supporters, who were responsible for rape, violence and torture against women,” Hasina said.
She lambasted those trying to hinder the war crimes trials. “Do they believe in independence?”
She asked the Opposition to shun the politics of violence. “Today is Begum Rokeya’s birth anniversary. If the Opposition Leader had chosen to withdraw her blockade campaign on this today, we would have been spared the taunt that this is essentially a fight between two women,” Hasina said.
She reasoned that no one would have ever branded it a fight between two men had the parties been headed by them. “But now people say this is a fight of two women because both I and the Opposition Leader happen to be women.”
The Prime Minister mentioned various development projects for women taken up by her government, including the National Women Development Policy 2011 and the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act 2010.
Hasina said women had proved that they were capable of working in any position.
She stressed the government had launched several projects to ensure women’s economic emancipation.
Paying rich tributes to the legacy of Begum Rokeya, Hasina said it was just not enough to raise slogans. “We must work for women’s emancipation.”
She said women were working in the judiciary, executive, army, navy and air force and the police department.
“How do women proceed if we don’t give them an opportunity?”
She handed over this year’s Begum Rokeya Awards to Jharnadhara Chowdhury and Professor Hamida Banu for their contribution to female education and women empowerment.
Jharnadhara Chowdhury is the president of the Gandhi Memorial Institute. She was awarded Indian civilian Padma Shri award this year.
Hamida Banu was a former professor of physics department at the Chittagong University. She has worked in many government setups include the Public Service Commission.
Source: Bd news24
