Building the Road by WalkingExperience of Bangladeshi Women

Rokeya Kabir Executive Director

Bangladesh Nari Progati Sangha-BNPSwww.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

Women’s productive potentials are confined to household economy

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

Maternal Mortality Rate 194117 in world ranking

6th in South Asia

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

Thank YouMerci

beaucoupDhonnobad