Bangladesh: Budget discrimination, patriarchy hinders indigenous women's political participation
Dhaka, Aug 7
While the participation of plainland indigenous women in Bangladesh's local governance - particularly in union parishads - has increased, structural budgetary discrimination, political marginalisation, and deeply entrenched patriarchal attitudes continue to hinder their ability to exercise meaningful leadership, local media reported citing experts.
The remarks were made at a roundtable conference titled 'Meaningful Participation and Political Leadership of Plainland Indigenous Women in Local Governance' which was jointly organised by International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) Bangladesh and People's Union of the Marginalised Development Organisation (PUMDO) with support from the Embassy of Sweden at The Daily Star Centre in Dhaka.
During the discussion, the speakers urged the government to provide women elected to reserved seats with equitable funding and allowances for the three wards they represent, ensure their effective participation in standing committees and Gram Adalats, and reinforce safeguards for their land rights, Bangladesh's leading newspaper 'The Daily Star' reported.
The speakers also stressed the need for structured administrative capacity-building of women leaders at grassroots level, while urging indigenous communities to tackle internal divisions, social stigma and substance abuse as well as demand accountability from the authorities.
Delivering the welcome address, Rumana Amin Archi, Deputy Country Director of IFES Bangladesh, said an inclusive democracy can be achieved by addressing the distinct socio-political and structural challenges faced by marginalised communities.
She underscored the importance of bringing the struggles and leadership potential of plainland indigenous women into mainstream governance discussions.
In his keynote presentation, researcher and activist Pavel Partha drew attention to the absence of disaggregated data on plainland indigenous communities in national statistics.
He said that the national voter registration form does not include a field for ethnic identity, making it impossible to determine the exact number of indigenous voters and elected women representatives
Partha further said that despite Gram Adalats dealing with land disputes, domestic conflicts and violence against women at the union parishad level in Bangladesh, the participation of indigenous women in village courts and the 13 standing committees remains largely symbolic, excluding them from meaningful decision-making roles.
According to Haimanti Sarkar, Chief Executive Officer of PUMDO, indigenous women "who seek economic independence, enter politics or take on leadership roles routinely face patriarchal resistance, with character assassination often used to silence them," The Daily Star reported.
She said that women in leadership positions are often subjected to social stigma, defamation, baseless allegations and hostility merely for exercising their rights and working for their communities.
Addressing the gathering as Chief Guest, Bangladeshi lawmaker Anna Minj lauded grassroots women representatives for overcoming systemic challenges while serving their communities.
Emphasising that patriarchal social structures remain central to women's marginalisation, Rights activist Shanjida Khan Ripa said that "women elected to reserved seats represent three wards but receive significantly smaller budget allocations than male members representing a single ward."
— IANS
Reader Comments
The point about women representing three wards but getting less budget than a male member representing one ward says it all. It's not just about token representation - it's about making sure these women have actual resources to make changes. I hope the Bangladeshi government takes these recommendations seriously, especially the ones about standing committees and Gram Adalats. Equal participation isn't just a slogan, it's about structural change.
The character assassination part hit home. In India, we've seen how women leaders, especially from marginalised communities, are often targeted with baseless allegations the moment they try to assert themselves. It's a tool to keep them silent. The fact that indigenous women in Bangladesh are facing the same tactics shows this is a systemic issue across South Asia. We need more solidarity and cross-border learning on this. 💪
It's commendable that Sweden is supporting these initiatives through IFES. But as an outsider, it's clear that the problem isn't just about budgets - it's about mindsets. The patriarchal resistance mentioned here is something we see in many parts of the world, but it's particularly entrenched in certain cultural contexts. The key is what happens after these conferences - are there concrete follow-ups, timelines, and accountability mechanisms? That's what will make the difference.
The issue with Gram Adalats being symbolic is something we in India also struggle with. We have similar village courts, but the participation of women, especially from indigenous or Dalit communities, is often just for show. The experts are right - we need capacity building, not just reservation. And the fact that the voter registration form doesn't even have an ethnic identity field in Bangladesh is shocking. How can you plan for inclusion without basic data?
We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.