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October 19, 2003 

Female ward commissioners are looked down on!  

Alpha Arzu

Ward Commissioner Shamima Sultana's first meeting with the mayor of her Khulna City ended in bitterness. Soon after congratulating her on being elected as one of the female ward commissioners, the mayor offered a few shocking advice.

As Sultana narrated later the mayor, a male politician told her to stay home instead of trying to do something. ``I'll send for your husband whenever I need you," the mayor reportedly told the woman. She got this reply after waiting for more than two hours to see the mayor.
Shamima has alleged that many male ward commissioners are unwilling to co-operate with female commissioners. Instead of co-operation, the men try to create obstructions so the women representatives cannot perform their responsibilities.

Shamima's experience is not an exception. It has rather become a common practice for the grassroots level local government administration across the country.

Says Mahmuda, the commissioner at Ward No. 7 of Dhaka City Corporation, the female commissioners are not always consulted when the mayor and his city corporation authorities discuss and take up development programmes. ``Women are not always invited to important meetings. There is the delaying tactics whenever women want to discuss the development programmes of their constituencies."

``Those who have elected us want us to do something for their welfare. But we are not even allowed to write and sign something as simple as a character certificate," says a female ward commissioner in Rajshahi, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

However, there is no dearth of good words from the higher authorities. Considering the speech of Local Government and Cooperative Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan's speech at a recent seminar organised by Nari Uddug Kendra.

``The government is exploring ways to improve women's participation in local government and end disparity between men and women," Bhuiyan told the seminar. He added that the government is serious about political empowerment of women. ``Things are moving in the right direction," he said assuring the women.

He said female ward commissioners would get their separate offices. He also announced that female ward commissioners would get some responsibilities such as character testimonials or birth certificates. ``There is nothing to worry," he told the female elected representatives.

In a research study presented at the seminar experts Tofael Ahmed and Mashuda Rashid Chowdhury discussed the need for reforming laws to ensure greater political participation of women and the female elected councillors.

The research study calls for a changing in the mentality of the male-dominated society so that female representative gets more rights and responsibilities. Some laws older than by many years than the country's constitution should be amended, says the study.

NewsNetwork.