DHAKA: Most of the women vice-chairmen of the country’s upazila parishads do not get due cooperation from the respective UZ and UP chairmen although they are oath-bound to assist their female colleagues for an effective run of the freshly introduced local-government body.

The women representatives, however, feel proud of getting elected upazila vice-chairmen as the change in their life enhanced their importance in society.

“We got a good response from society,” many of them said in an opinion poll.

A recent study conducted about the women vice-chairmen reveals the thoughts and beliefs of the upazila-level lady representatives of the people. Associate Editor of the Daily Samakal Ajoy Dasgupta conducted the research involving 329 of the 480 women vice-chairmen during December 2009-January 2010 period.

The findings were placed at a roundtable on ‘Role of Women in Local Governance from Media Perspective’ here Sunday. Journalism Training and Research Initiative (JATRI) organized the meet at its Karwan Bazar office.

The women vice-chairmen of the Upazila Parishad also think the environment at their workplace is far from being women-friendly and that the local body should be free from “intervention by the administration”.

Attending the roundtable as chief guest, State Minister for Women and Children Affairs Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury said the media could play an important role in keeping transparency in the administration as well as strengthening the democracy, which is a key to maintaining good governance in the country.

“The government would take necessary steps to make the upazila parishads effective,” the minister told her audience.

The upazila parishad is constituted of an elected chairman, two vice-chairmen (one male another female) and the UP chairmen under the upazila.     

Addressing the programme, Director-General of the Press Institute of Bangladesh Dulal Chandra Biswas demanded a new communications policy for a change in society, as pledged by the government.

The DG of the National Institute of Mass Communication, Makbul Ahmed, and Director of Business School of BRAC University Sanaul Mostafa also addressed the function.

BDST: 1450Hrs. June 13, 2010
TSA/LY/MUA