New Delhi: Muhammad Yunus, chief advisor of Bangladesh’s interim government, has honoured women, who had participated in the student-led protests in July and August—which turned into a mass uprising resulting in former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s ouster—hailing them, as the “heroines of history’s transformation”.
“We have not forgotten you, who sacrificed your lives or were injured. This new Bangladesh we will build—this is our vow,” Yunus said at an event titled ‘Daughters of July: We Will Not Let You Be Forgotten’ in Dhaka Tuesday.
The event was organised by the ministries of women and children affairs, and social welfare. Students from colleges, universities and various educational institutions across Bangladesh, who had joined the anti-discrimination students’ movement in July were in attendance, according to a report by Rtv News.
“What you have achieved for Bangladesh is a historic event. The heroines of this historic moment have done something unparalleled in the world. Many revolutions have occurred globally, but this one is entirely different,” Yunus remarked.
The event and Yunus’s presence comes close on the heels of widespread dissatisfaction in the country over the sidelining of women participants of the students’ movement by the current administration.
Last month, a report by Daily Star, a leading Bangladesh daily, read, “The women of the July uprising, who played central roles in the movement, continue to be sidelined. Their blood-stained faces became symbols of resistance, yet as the revolution unfolded, the power structures that emerged failed to reflect their sacrifice. As male leaders ascend to political power, the women who fuelled the uprising find themselves without representation.”
For the report, The Daily Star had spoken to 20 female students, who were on the frontlines of the agitation.
Their struggle is far from over as violence against women continues to plague the streets of Dhaka and other cities in Bangladesh, the report added.
“We, like the male students, are stakeholders in this revolution. But the Anti-Discrimination Students’ Movement is now making political decisions without involving us. It’s truly regrettable,” the report had quoted a female student as saying.
The issue of women’s safety has come to dominate news reports since the July protests. Several women were harassed and assaulted by a group in Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong on 11 September, the footage of which was widely circulated on social media, The Daily Star had reported.
Journalist Sahidul Hasan Khokon told ThePrint over the phone that Tuesday’s event was an attempt to pacify women, who have been feeling not just sidelined, but also unsafe in Bangladesh after Yunus took over as caretaker.
“There have been questions raised about who funded, backed and brainwashed students into this so-called July revolution. There is widespread dissatisfaction with the male members of the revolution, who are the new power elite in Bangladesh over their associations with radical Islamist organisations, like the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh and the Hizb ut-Tahrir. That apart, all women who participated in the uprising against Hasina have been sidelined,” Khokon said.
At the event, Yunus urged women to continue playing an active role until the dream of building a new Bangladesh is fulfilled. “The role you have taken in transforming the old Bangladesh into a new one must be completed. It cannot be left solely to the government,” he said.
Saddam Hussain, president of the now-banned Chhatra League, student wing of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League, told ThePrint that Yunus has empowered radical Islamists, who now run the country keeping him forward.
“How can women be safe when those calling the shots in Bangladesh want Sharia law to be imposed? The Jamaat’s stated aim is to do away with all man-made laws in Bangladesh. No one is safe in today’s Bangladesh which is being run by an unelected government.”
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