The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Experts and representatives of the civil society urged the government to include gender issues in the proposed PRSP-II to reduce discrimination against women.

They also urged the government to organise advocacy meeting among the policymakers, politicians and gender experts before drafting of the PRSP-II, which will be finalised in June this year.

This was urged at a press conference jointly organised by Prip Trust and Oxfam at Dhaka Reporters Unity yesterday.

Aroma Dutta, Executive Director of Prip Trust, read out a written statement, while Farhana Hafiz of Oxfam, Shirin Banu Mitil, Director of Prip Trust, among others, were present on the occasion.

Aroma Dutta said, "The government made the PRSP, which will work as guideline to achieve the Millennium Development Goal (MDGs). But in fact, there is hardly any participation of women in the process of making PRSP. As a result, women's rights and roles have not been established in the society."

There is no female representative in the infrastructure of the political empowerment. Although there are few women representatives in the local government level, but they have to face a lot of discriminations from their male colleagues, she said.

In the PRSP, there is no separate allocation of budget for women, speakers said and urged the government to allocate more fund for the economic development of the women in the country.