At a roundtable they also slam consensus commission for excluding females in decision making
Women's rights activists yesterday blasted the National Consensus Commission for excluding genuine female participation in decisions on reserved seats in parliament.
They condemned the commission's recent move to allocate only 5 percent representation for women 54 years after independence.
At the current pace, they warned, it would take another 25 years, 75 years in total after independence, to reach even 33 percent representation.
At a roundtable titled "Women's Seats in Parliament and Women's Political Empowerment", organised by the Prothom Alo in Kawran Bazar, speakers demanded direct elections, an equal 50-50 share of parliamentary seats, and substantial reforms to move beyond tokenism and to ensure real political empowerment of women.
Shireen Huq, chief of the Women's Affairs Reform Commission, expressed her disappointment, saying that even in 2025 "we still lack the wisdom, knowledge, commitment, and courage to demand half the representation".
Referring to proposals to double parliament's size from 300 to 600 seats, she asked how 300 members could adequately represent today's population. "When the parliament started with 15 seats, what was the population then compared to now?... We need to increase the number of representatives, and in that context, the issue of women's seats must also be addressed."
"We are not asking for this to be permanent. Our proposal is for two terms because we believe that during these terms, many women leaders will be developed. This has also been proven at the local level in the union parishad elections."
Farah Kabir, ActionAid Bangladesh's country director, slammed political parties for seeking just 5 percent reserved seats for women.
"Is this supposed to be an act of kindness?"
Noting that women comprise over half the population and contribute more than 50 percent to the economy, particularly through the RMG sector and remittances, she reminded that the government pledged 30 percent reserved seats in the 1995 Beijing Declaration.
Emphasising direct elections as the only solution, Kabir said women in parties must be properly prepared. She rejected the claim that suitable candidates cannot be found.
"We need to determine clear criteria for entering parliament: whether it's based on our performance, our service to voters, our support to the community, or if it's about muscle power, ransacking, and domination," she said.
"If that is the criteria, then assessing women's qualifications becomes problematic. However, if the focus is on nation-building, I believe there should be no obstacle to women taking on these roles," she added.
Rasheda K Choudhury, former caretaker government adviser, questioned whether Bangladesh was advancing or regressing in terms of women's political participation and empowerment.
"We (women) are being urged to apply pressure, but who is actually under pressure? Which direction is this government heading? The National Consensus Commission must carefully evaluate the path of women's empowerment," she said.
Rasheda also emphasised that it is the interim government's responsibility to demonstrate that it is not biased toward any particular group or individual. "If people believe otherwise, it will be difficult for the government to operate effectively."
She also questioned why all decisions concerning women are being made solely by political parties.
Badiul Alam Majumder, a member of the consensus commission and chief of the Election Reform Commission, admitted the decision to keep 5 percent seats for women was "an unfortunate incident -- a disaster".
He said the commission's mandate was to discuss with political parties and reach consensus on various issues, but on women's representation in parliament, "we have failed to secure women's rights".
He said he warned parties the move was regressive but was ignored and even faced pushback. He also revealed that he personally "came under fire" for his stance, recalling parties asked him at commission's meetings why he was so interested in women's issues.
Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, expressed disappointment that despite coming to power through an anti-discrimination movement, the government has failed to tackle discrimination issues. She said the reform commissions have poor representation of women.
Describing the National Consensus Commission as a "boys club", Anam further noted a persistent negative campaign against women. "There is a hostile attitude towards women, not only on social media but also in large gatherings, which has never been properly challenged."
She also noted concerns about women's safety and whether those participating, voting, or being nominated in the upcoming elections can fulfill their roles securely.
CPD Research Director Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem warned that women's empowerment remained "superficial and confined to symbolic roles".
True empowerment must start inside political parties, with meaningful female leadership from district to central levels, he said.
He criticised the reform commissions for ignoring political party reforms, calling this the root cause of women's continued marginalisation.
"I challenge that women's leadership in the upcoming parliament will be even weaker. We are not heading in a good direction," he said.
Moazzem predicted even the symbolic presence of women will disappear unless post-election efforts intensify.
He pointed out barriers such as women entering reserved seats without election, which diminishes their accountability and ownership.
He also accused the drafters of the July Declaration of deliberately excluding women. "I read the entire declaration carefully. There is no mention of women anywhere. Their exclusion was intentional."
He further questioned how young representatives could endorse the document despite this omission.
Fawzia Moslem, president of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, said that without women's participation in decision-making, laws favouring women or eliminating discrimination cannot be created.
She cited two reasons for having reserved seats: the country's complex political culture and women's limited opportunities for independent decision-making. She explained that women often rely on others during elections, making reserved seats essential.
Dr Samina Luthfa, associate professor of sociology at Dhaka University, also said the consensus commission acted as a "boys club", where women's political futures have been decided without genuine participation of real women.
Calling the situation "ridiculous", she likened negotiations over women's seats to "bargaining at a fish market".
Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori, praised women in reserved seats for their strong contributions, in contrast to many unproductive male MPs. She said it was illogical to claim that qualified women cannot be found while unqualified men are deemed acceptable, noting that women are consistently held to higher standards and expected to be flawless.
Prothom Alo Senior Reporter Naznin Akhter presented the keynote, while rights activist Ilira Dewan, Bangladesh Garment Sramik Samhati President Taslima Akhter, and former student coordinator Nazifa Jannat also spoke. The event was moderated by Sumana Sharmin, associate editor of Prothom Alo.
