Amended Wdp Rights bodies submit memo to PM
Staff Correspondent
A total of 17 women and human rights organisations submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister on Saturday demanding cancellation of the amended Women's Development Policy (WDP). The change was brought not only in structural but also in conception of gender equality and women empowerment policy, the memorandum said. Bangladesh has removed the conception of equal rights of women that guaranteed in the constitution, UN CEDAW document and Beijing Action Plan. It will have negative impact on the equal rights of man and women in the society and hinder women's development and empowerment, they said. Moreover, Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (PRSP) also prepared on the basis of the original WDP in 1997. The original policy was consistent with the Millennium Development Goal (MDG) that talked about women's empowerment and gender equality. The rights organisations said they played an important role in preparing the policy in 1997 which is absent in the amended policy, the memorandum said. They demanded restoration of the original policy canceling the new one for the greater interest of the nation.
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