MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN AFFAIRS

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MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILDREN AFFAIRS
A Presentation
Presented byMs. Khurshid Zahan Haque
MPMinister for Women and Children Affairs
Bangladesh Development Forum 9 May 2004
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WOMEN AND CHILDREN ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Bangladesh is a developing country having a
  total population of 129.2 million where women
  constitute 49.5 and women and children together
  constitute 70 of the total population.
• Government of Bangladesh has firm commitment
  towards attaining gender equality through womens
  empowerment and childrens needs, issues,
  priorities and rights.
• Ministry of Women and Children Affairs is the
  lead Ministry for gender and development and
  children advancement It acts as watchdog to
  oversee the gender issues implemented by other
  Ministries

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COMMITMENT MADE FOR WOMEN ADVANCEMENT IN THE LAST
BDF

• Undertake a social audit and analysis to
  determine the poverty status of women in all
  sectors and in rural and urban settings.
• Reinforce the mechanism to implement laws
  affecting women.
• Advocate for implementation and allocation of
  resources for Gender Equality Strategy and
  Maternal Health Strategy within the Health,
  Nutrition and Population Sector Program (HNPSP)
• Creating effective safety-net for distressed and
  vulnerable women and children through social
  protection program

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COMMITMENT MADE FOR CHILDREN ADVANCEMENT IN THE
LAST BDF

• Prepare a National Plan of Action for Children in
  line with MDGs and a World Fit for Children
  Agenda
• Establish an Independent Commission for Children
  to act as watch dog for achieving childrens
  advancement and rights.
• Combating child sexual abuse and child sexual
  exploitation including trafficking
• Preparatory work to establish a Childrens
  Directorate to implement the CRC and NPA for
  children in line with MDG

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Production of Draft Report On Women Advancement
  and Rights for PRSP with the following focus
• - Gender dimensions and determinants of womens
  poverty
• - Strategies and interventions for womens
  advancement and rights
• - Medium Term Policy Matrix for FY 2004-2006
  indicating sectors, challenges, interventions
  already taken and interventions to be taken
  (2004-2006)
• - Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Initiatives have been taken to develop a Program
  Based Approach through prioritization and best
  use of available resources in partnership with
  development partners.
• Special Project on Social Protection and Safety
  Net Development for disadvantaged women and
  children has been undertaken after thorough
  review of the existing situation and an extensive
  need assessment.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Programs of food assistance have targeted the
  ultra-poor women at 467 Upazillas.
• Initiatives have been taken to address food
  leakage.
• Women and Children Repression Act 2000 was
  amended in 2003 to ensure improved and effective
  enforcement to protect women from domestic
  violence and trafficking.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Speedy Trial Act and Special Tribunals are in
  operation for enforcement and quick disposal of
  cases regarding violence against women.
• Safe-custody homes for women and adolescent
  girls-under- trial have been functioning. Also a
  legal aid fund has been established for women and
  children in prison or under trial.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• DNA Lab and hot-line services have been
  introduced at the One-Stop-Crisis Center to
  provide quick assistance to the victims of
  violence.
• In joint cooperation with MOHFW strategies have
  been developed and supported to address maternal
  mortality, child mortality and the nutrition
  status of women and children.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Special program for awareness about HIV/AIDS has
  been undertaken.
• Actions are being taken to develop a social
  movement against dowry.
• Nation-wide road marches are organized as a
  protest to combat dowry, domestic violence, acid
  throwing and trafficking of women and children.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Gender responsive migration policy is in the
  process of finalization.
• Through the initiative of free education for
  girls up to class 12 drop-out rates have been
  reduced and gender parity at primary education
  has been achieved.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• One International University for Women has been
  established.
• Women Studies Department has been introduced at
  the Dhaka University.
• Initiatives have been taken to develop Gender
  responsive curriculum in 4 Training Institutes of
  GOB officials BPATC, NAEM, BCS Administration
  Academy, and Academy for Planning and
  Development.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF WOMEN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Issue-based consultations and dialogue between
  GOB, Womens organizations and civil society are
  being organized regarding the implementation of
  CEDAW and National Action Plan for Advancement of
  Women.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF CHILDREN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Draft Report on Children Advancement and Rights
  for PRSP has been prepared for the first time
  which contains
• - status of child rights program
• - Childrens needs
• - Program planning matrix highlighting
  objectives, strategies, activities,
  implementation plan and lead agency
• - Monitoring and Evaluation Indicators.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF CHILDREN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• NPA for Children (2004-9) has been formulated
  where the following 5 areas have been
  highlighted
• Education, Health, Protection, Food and
  nutrition and Physical Environment.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF CHILDREN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Government has taken positive steps to establish
  an Independent Commission for Children which
  will act as a watch dog to ensure effective
  implementation of NPA for children, CRC, SEACT
  and MDG and World Fit for Children Agenda.
• This will also promote and ensure childrens
  rights, priority and visibility in the
  Governments policies.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF CHILDREN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• Government has taken steps to implement whole
  child concept through Early Child-hood
  Development Program from 0-05 years of age
  focusing Nutrition, good behavior, parental care
  and pre-school learning.
• Empowerment of rural adolescent girls addressed
  through a pilot project in 32 districts mid-term
  evaluation shows a decrease of early marriage and
  dowry related marriage.

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ACCOMPLISHMENTS AFTER THE LAST BDF CHILDREN
ADVANCEMENT AND RIGHTS

• The issue of increasing the age of criminal
  responsibility for children is under
  consideration.
• Preparatory works to establish a Childrens
  Directorate to implement CRC and NPA for Children
  in line with the MDG.
• Combating Child Sexual Abuse and Child Sexual
  Exploitation Including Trafficking is an on-going
  pilot project.

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PLAN AHEAD FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN ADVANCEMENT AND
RIGHTS

• To promote micro-entrepreneurship at the
  grassroots level and to ensure fair price for the
  growers a concept paper on One districtone
  product has been developed.
• Initiatives have been taken for inclusion of
  relevant articles in the law for effective
  implementation of SAARC Convention on Preventing
  and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children
  for Prostitution.

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PLAN AHEAD FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN ADVANCEMENT AND
RIGHTS

• Government has taken steps to withdraw the
  reservation on the UN-CEDAW Article no. 16.1(C)
  to protect womens human rights.
• Several initiatives taken to increase womens
  access to justice.

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PLAN AHEAD FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN ADVANCEMENT AND
RIGHTS

• Improve representation of women at all level of
  government.
• Increase accountability for delivery of improved
  services to women.
• Advocate for CEDAW and NAP implementation amongst
  all line Ministries.
• Engender National Budget to restructure and
  target the allocation of public expenditures to
  promote womens economic opportunities and equal
  access to productive resources as per PRSP.
• Strengthening creation of gender disaggregated
  date and gender sensitive research.

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PLAN AHEAD FOR WOMEN AND CHILDREN ADVANCEMENT AND
RIGHTS

• A Counter Trafficking Framework Report on
  Bangladesh Perspective has been finalized to
  address trafficking in person from
  multi-ministerial and multi-dimensional approach
  through two separate programs one for women and
  the other for children.

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• Thank You