Breaking barriers: Promise for equality of women

In 2013 to almost everyone's wonder new born babies were rescued from the Rana Plaza debris. In the midst of the huge uproar regarding the death toll, the massive destruction, remorselessness of the factory owners, inadequacy and irregularities of rescue operation, relief and compensation; a pertinent question went unanswered. Why pregnant workers at a matured stage were working in the factory rather than being on maternity leave? This was just another side of the story of oppression of the working force, in particular, women, that the Rana Plaza collapse unfolded. Although it is incumbent on the employers to ensure maternity leave, it is a common practice to making women work during the statutory leave threatening salary deduction or firing. Today Bangladeshi women engage themselves in almost every possible profession, starting from farming and small entrepreneurship to vehicle driving. Women's role in keeping the economy rolling is candidly inspiring, but the discriminatory and oppressive attitude towards women at home and workplace is equally if not more depressing. The ILO Report of 2010 shows that women in Bangladesh earn 21% lesser per hour compared to their male counterpart.  
Every year the 8th day of March is celebrated as the International Women's Day (IWD) demanding equal wages, health safety for women and ending violence.  The theme for this year's IWD is “Equality for women is progress for all”. Although capitalism's need for cheap labour has made a greater number of women come out of their domestic confine the demand for empowerment of women, non-discrimination and equality have not been realised. Women hardly have control over the means of production, over their hard earned resources and their own person. With equal rights and opportunities women can contribute far better to the advancement of humanity and hence, this year's theme.
For ensuring substantive equality and true empowerment for women in Bangladesh a meaningful change of the existing socio-economic condition is must and to that end it is essential to analyse the state structure. Although the Constitution of Bangladesh enshrines equality for all and affirmative action for women, women have been described as 'backward section' of the society.  Through this parochial language the state responsibility behind the critical condition of women has been skillfully avoided. Marriage, divorce, maintenance, custody and inheritance are regulated by religious personal laws in Bangladesh. This in effect means that women from the same religion enjoy lesser rights than men and also women having different religious beliefs do not have parity of rights. It has been a longstanding demand of the human rights activists in Bangladesh that without harming the rituals and ceremonies, the civil effects of marriage, separation or death be made uniform. But the 'state religion' provision in the Constitution has significantly affected the demand for family law reform in Bangladesh. Fearing repercussions from fundamentalists the successive elected governments did not prohibit child marriage despite high rate of natal mortality due to underage marriage.
Exploitation of religious sentiments by political parties has made the situation for women at the grassroots harder. No steps are taken against fatwa instigated violence in rural areas, of which women are the most vulnerable victims. Unpaid labor, sexual abuse and brutal torture of domestic helps are not even addressed through regulatory framework. Moral policing of women by the society and the state leaves little or no room for women to live a life of their own wish. Bangladesh remains as a safe haven for violence against women. Be it in a high rise building, a remote village or the hills, custodial death, dowry demands or raping women belonging to minority community-the perpetrators are hardly brought to justice. The state's role here is of a silent bystander apart from passing certain laws and adopting policies, which more often than not are due to foreign aid conditioning. Rather than protecting the victims law seems to protect the powerful and privileged.
To add to the fundamentalists and elites come the business tycoons. By exploiting cheap labour of women in the domestic market the RMG sector is making huge profit. Similarly in the name of empowering rural women NGOs are getting cottage industry and weaving products from women at a significantly low rate compared to the retail price in the capital and cities. If state patronised these small industries than women could have retained control over the means of production, they did not need to be reliant on others for employment and had made better earning and living.  
Although women constitute a vast majority of the RMG sector workers, there is little or no representation of women in the trade unions.  Unfortunately, this poor representation of women in policy making is true for almost all sectors. Women are contributing to the labor force, but due to lack of decision making power in domestic and public sphere they are not reaping the benefit of their hard work. Despite women leadership in the top ranks of the country for decades women elected in the local governments cannot freely exercise their power or absolve their functions due to non cooperation of the male members. Our leading newspapers publish columns on 'when you have a female boss', in a tone that working with a female executive head is either ridiculing or disturbing.
Viewing women and their abilities differently (from men) is for some reason the 'attitude' that our mainstream media follows. Women as represented in the media only run after status symbols and believe physical beauty as the only key to success, which is quite converse to reality. The photo shopped media divas create an impression that without being parrot faced and zero figure with hills higher that one's height it is not worth enough to be a woman. This widespread objectification of women not only compromises women's dignity and humiliate them but also perpetuates violence against women by creating stereotypes.  We need portrayal of empowered women in the media as much as possible for breaking these stereotypes.
Begum Rokeya, Kamaladevi Chattapaddhay, Sarojini Naidu, Kalpana Dutta,  Preetilata Waddedar, Kanaklata Barua, Eela Mitra, Monorama Basu, Kalpana Chakma- We have a whole lot of legendary women who were far more advance for their age to address the complex intersection of capitalism, imperialism, sex, religion and society. It is time to reflect over their contributions and see how breaking social barriers for women can advance humanity to better heights. Demanding adoption of anti-discrimination law and national women policy, widespread networking among women workers and professionals, ending impunity for violence against women and evaluating the role of women in the building of the national history-let these be the promise for this year's International Women's Day.

The writer is Lecturer of Law, University of Dhaka.