Political leaders and rights activists on Saturday said that a toxic political culture, dominated by corruption, patriarchy and exclusionary practices, was driving women and young people away from active politics in the country.
Their observations came at a discussion titled 鈥楤reaking barriers: women and youth in leadership?鈥� organised by the Centre for Governance Studies at the Khulna Press Club, said a press release.
Representatives from different political parties, women leaders, young politicians, and civil society members attended the event, moderated by CGS president Zillur Rahman.
Zillur Rahman questioned why women and young organisers, despite their crucial role in politics, remained sidelined from party decision-making process.
Referring to the youth-led July uprising, he highlighted the growing generational mistrust and the absence of leadership pipelines, saying that loyalty was often valued over competence.
BNP central committee information secretary Azizul Baree Helal said that leadership had no gender and that patriotism and courage, not age or gender, defined real leaders.
鈥楨very society has barriers, but those cannot stop people from pursuing their dreams,鈥� he said, citing global youth leaders like Greta Thunberg as examples.
Khulna city Jamaat-e-Islami secretary advocate Jahangir Hossain Helal described the country鈥檚 youths as 鈥榥ational treasure鈥�, urging them to overcome obstacles with determination.
Referring to the July uprising, he said, 鈥榊oung men and women who risked their lives to fight authoritarianism proved that no barrier can stop true willpower.鈥�
Former Communist Party of Bangladesh Khulna general secretary advocate Md Babul Hawlader identified patriarchy as a major obstacle to women鈥檚 leadership.
鈥楨ven mothers discourage their daughters from joining politics for fear that it will harm their marriage prospect,鈥� he said, adding that no party had yet ensured 33 per cent women鈥檚 participation in leadership as pledged.
National Citizen Party Khulna city organiser Dr Abdullah Chowdhury said that a new sense of patriotism emerged among the youths after the uprising but was now fading.
鈥楶olitical parties failed to retain that spirit. If toxic rhetoric and corruption continue, women and youths will keep losing interest,鈥� he warned.
Islami Andolan Bangladesh Khulna president Mufti Amanullah said that development was impossible without women鈥檚 participation in leadership and economic life, but it must align with Islamic values.
He also cautioned that excessive use of smartphones was diverting youths from education and politics.
The workshop was part of the CGS鈥檚 ongoing project 鈥榃omen and youth engagement in politics in a post-uprising Bangladesh鈥� with support from the Netherlands embassy in Bangladesh.
