A group of 22 women, including activists, lawyers, academics and cultural activists, in a statement, condemned the recent wave of misogynistic statements and remarks made targeting women in general and women leaders in particular.
Their protest was issued to the media on Friday, urging immediate legal and social redress to uphold the dignity and rights of women in the country.
The statement was prompted in response to a backlash against the proposed reforms by the Women鈥檚 Affairs Reform Commission formed by the interim government.
The signatories expressed concern over the disproportionate and aggressive opposition to the proposals for improving the state of the country鈥檚 women rights, putting down such hostility to deep-rooted misogyny rather than to religious or cultural concerns.
鈥榃henever women rights issues are raised, a section of society reacts with irrational aggression, as if women empowerment will threaten their own existence. This exposes their ingrained hatred, hostility and contempt for women,鈥� the statement read.
They also rejected the attempts to delegitimise the women commission. They emphasised that debate and dissent are vital in a democracy, but resorting to threats and vulgarity was unacceptable.
They noted that the language used by certain groups not only undermined women but also reflected their own narrow-mindedness, intolerance and lack of political maturity.
鈥楾hey dream of leading a state by trampling on 51 per cent of its population, completely disregarding the principles of democracy and equality,鈥� the statement said.
Citing specific legal provisions, the statement also said that such behaviour violated the constitution and existing laws of the country.
The signatories included Syeda Ratna, environmental activist and cultural; Sultana Begum, garment workers鈥� rights organiser; Ishrat Jahan Prachi, human rights lawyer; Nazifa Tasnim Khanom Tisha, theatre artiste; Layeka Bashir, teacher and cultural activist,聽 Nasrin Siraj, anthropologist, Tabassum Mehenaz, human rights lawyer, Saydia Gulrukh, journalist, Hana Shams Ahmed, research and human rights activist; and Nasrin Khandaker, anthropologist.
