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Building the Capacity of Women Parliamentarians from Bangladesh   
July 26, 2011 — “I realized while working that you have to be in the system to make a difference,” says Mahabub Ara Gini (pictured right), a Bangladeshi Parliamentarian and recent participant in the USAID-funded Promoting Democratic Institutions and Principles Project (PRODIP), a study tour for Bangladeshi women members of parliament. PRODIP is a 5-year project being implemented by The Asia Foundation and SUNY/Center for International Development (SUNY/CID). CEDPA, a partner of SUNY/CID in the PRODIP initiative, organized the 10-day workshop and study tour to Washington, D.C for nine female members of the Bangladesh Parliament and a parliamentary staff member. The program focused on strengthening the leadership skills of the participants, building competencies in advocacy and communications, and exploring new models for engaging constructively with civil society organizations and across parties to promote women’s issues. Gini and her colleagues are working towards making changes in their country’s government. Bangladesh is a relatively new democracy that is struggling to acknowledge the voices of women. Though there have been women political leaders who have risen to power, such as Prime Ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina Wajed, most women in the current parliament are appointed, not elected. The Bangladeshi parliament reserves 45 seats of its 300 seats for women. Most of the women are appointed by the political parties. As holders of reserved seats, the women face challenges that most elected MPs do not, most notably gaining the respect of their male peers and the people they are meant to represent.
“Constitutionally, I don’t have any geographic area,” explains Rasheda Begum Hira (pictured left in red and black), a PRODIP participant appointed by the opposition party. Because she was appointed, she does not have a specific group of constituents to represent. “I think geographically we should have some specific area to contribute to, otherwise, we will be always in no man’s land,” she says. Most of the women parliamentarians are determined to be more than just a figure head and toe the party line. They entered politics to better serve people from their communities. In addition to training sessions on leadership, advocacy, strategic communication and messaging, the PRODIP study tour provided participants with a practical understanding of the U.S. legislative system and the importance of research and evidence based policy making, the history and role of U.S. women legislators, information on key women-centered policy issues and a greater understanding of legislative-civil society partnerships. The participants met with current and former women members of the U.S. Congress, including the co-chair of the Women’s Caucus, the Chair of the Bangladesh Caucus, women delegates from the Maryland State Assembly, NGO leaders and key government officials from the White House Council on Women and Girls and the Office of Global Women’s Issues at the Department of State. The participants were given the opportunity to hear about the struggles women in different U.S. political institutions have faced in order to gain the support and respect of their male counterparts. They heard from trail blazers such as Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis, former Congresswoman Connie Morella and Maryland state senators Jennie Forehand and Karen Montgomery. The participants spoke with these women leaders on topics that included work and family life balance and how opposing parties can work together to improve the lives of women in their country. “This workshop was more than what I expected. It improved my confidence, tolerance and commitment,” explained Rasheda. “It improved my vision to use my talent on our poor women’s behalf…for improving women’s condition and position as human beings in our own society.” Read more about Gini and Rashida and CEDPA’s programs in gender and governance. |
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