Jahanara Begum Surma's house in Feni witnesses crowds of women everyday as she solves their problems through financial and political supports and better suggestions.
Like Amina, Rahima and Khodeza of the sadar thana, many women are now leading a better life by taking training from Jatiya Mohila Sangstha in Feni district and involving themselves in the income generating activities. They are also participating in the family's decision making process which was not possible earlier in the man-dominated society.
"I have been working hard for the last 30 years to make true my dream of empowering women in all fields. I try to help them politically, socially and economically. To do this, I joined the politics of the Bangladesh Awami League and I walk across the Feni district to make women aware about their rights," said Jahanara Begum Surma, a parliament member of the reserved seat for Feni and Noakhali districts.
For empowering women, Surma, also president of the Feni District Mohila Awami League, said she was the president of the Jatiya Mohila Sangstha in the Feni district for seven years. From the Sangstha, she gave technical training to women and they set up business establishments by taking loans from the Mohila Sangstha's micro credit programme.
"Moreover, I am working against eve teasing, early marriage and dowry. Sometimes, I conduct awareness campaigns on female education," said Surma, who joined politics taking inspiration from the life of her maternal uncle late Khaza Ahmed, the founder of Feni district Awami League.
She expressed hope that she would work for women till the last breath of her life.
Like Surma, women in the leading positions in any sectors, are empowering other women. In this way, Bangladesh has achieved a good position in empowering women as per the World Economic Forum's Global Gender Gap Report 2017.
According to the report, the number of working women increased to 18.6 million in 2016-17 from 16.2 million in 2010. Bangladesh secured the 47th position among 144 countries in 2017 as per the Global Gender Gap Report, whereas India, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan remain at 108, 109, 111, 124 and 143 positions respectively.
"Bangladesh (47) further consolidates its position as the region's top performer and climbs several spots this year, recording progress across all dimensions of the Economic Opportunity and Participation subindex. Specifically, the country has improved gender parity for legislator, senior official and manager as well as professional and technical roles, in addition to estimated earned income and wage equality for similar work - despite a slight widening of its healthy life expectancy gender gap," the report said. -BSS
