Journalist Salma Sobhan

Nobel Laureate Amartya Sen flew into Dhaka just to award certificates to 32 bright, young women aspiring to come journalists through a programme called the Salma Sobhan Fellowship in Journalism for Women taken up by BRAC and Pratichi Trust. Professor Amartya Sen said that the expectations that he had of Pratichi Trust could not be fulfilled in any better way than by having programmes such as the Salma Sobhan Fellowship in Journalism for Women. In his memorial lecture on Salma Sobhan, he described his first encounter with Salma Sobhan and registered the memory as one where he recalls Salma Sobhan to be a women of great beauty and insight. “Mixed with the great happiness I feel today, I cannot deny the great sorrow upon the profound loss over the death of Salma Sobhan” said Professor Sen. “She was a person who knew how to make something difficult very easy.” Professor Sen spoke of Salma Sobhan’s lifelong work towards enforcing human rights, and said, “She should be studied in comparison with the proponents of human Rights. Her Philosophy is closer to Mary Wollstonecraft’s, as both believe that there is no quarrel between the rights of men and women.” “There are more than one ways to uphold human rights,” Professor Sen acquiesced, speaking of Salma Sobhan’s own convictions. Professor Sen further spoke of Salma Sobhan’s deep knowledge of society and also spoke of the role of media, saying, “Everywhere in the world the role of the newspaper is indisputable.”

Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina Wazed (born September 28, 1947) is a Bangladeshi politician and current Prime Minister of Bangladesh. She has been the President of the Awami League, a major political party, since 1981. She is the eldest of five children of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the founding father (and first president) of Bangladesh and wife of an internationally reputed nuclear scientist, M. A. Wazed Miah. Sheikh Hasina’s party defeated the BNP-led Four-Party Alliance in the 2008 parliamentary elections, thus assuring her of the post of prime minister. Sheikh Hasina has once before held the office, from 1996 to 2001. Sheikh Hasina's political career started as a student activist in Eden College in the 1960s. While at Government Intermediate College, she was elected vice president of the College Students Union for the term 1966–67. Her opponent was the leftist student leader Motiya Chowdhury, who much later joined Awami League and became a member of Hasina's cabinet. At the University of Dhaka Sheikh Hasina was a member of the Chhatra League (the student wing of Awami League) and secretary of the Rokeya Hall unit. During the liberation war in 1971, Sheikh Hasina, then a young mother, was held under in-house arrest with her mother, brothers, sister and her son. Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was imprisoned in West Pakistan during this period. After liberation, Hasina's involvement in politics was minimal as Sheikh Kamal, her brother, was touted as Mujib's successor.

Begum Kaleda Zia

Begum Khaleda Zia (born August 15, 1945) is a former Prime Minister of Bangladesh, having served from 1991 to 1996, becoming the first woman in the country's history to hold that position. She served a Zia gain from 2001 to 2006. Zia is the widow of assassinated President of Bangladesh Ziaur Rahman, and leads his old party, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). After 35 years of independence of Bangladesh she has ruled the country for about 10 years (longest period). She has been elected to five separate parliamentary constituencies in the general elections of 1991, 1996, and 2001, a feat unachieved by any other politician in Bangladeshi history. In 2006, Forbes ranked Khaleda Zia at number 33 in its list of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the world. Under the leadership of Begum Zia, the BNP formed a 7-party alliance in 1983 and launched a relentless struggle against the autocratic regime of General Ershad. During the 9-year-long struggle against Ershad, Begum Zia did not compromise with his autocratic and illegitimate government. For her strict adherence to the principles, the government restricted her movements by using prohibitive laws. She was detained seven times in eight years. But undaunted, Begum Zia continued to provide leadership in the movement for ousting Ershad. Like Zia before him, Ershad attempted to give his rule a civilian and democratic face, but Khaleda Zia boycotted all elections during his rule. Khaleda was detained seven times during almost nine years of autocratic rule under President Ershad before his resignation on 6 December 1990.

Zobeda Kanam

Zobeda Kanam (1920-1989) educationist and litterateur, was born at Azharbagh in Kushtia district on 5 March 1920, daughter of Khandkar Azharul Islam, a school inspector. She obtained her early education from a tutor at home. After marriage she moved to Kolkata, where she appeared privately in the Matriculation, IA and BT examinations. Zobeda Khanum joined government service and worked in various capacities: assistant school inspector’s (1954-55), instructor of Village Development Programme (1955-61), assistant director of the National Reconstruction Programme (1961-71), specialist at the Education Ministry (1971-76) and first director (1976-83) and chairperson (1983-85) of bangladesh shishu academy. She was also vice-chairperson and chairperson (1972-85) of bangladesh mahila samity. Zobeda Khanum wrote in several genres: novels, short stories, plays and juvenile literature. Her novels include Abhishapta Prem (1959), Duti Ankhi Duti Tara (1963), Akasher Rang (1964), Banamarmar (1967) and Ananta Pipasa (1967). Her short stories have been compiled in Ekti Surer Mrtyu (1974) and Jiban Ekti Durghatana (1981). Her plays include Jhader Svaksar (1967) and Ore Bihanga (1968). Among her books for children are Galpa Bali Shona (1966), Mahasamudra (1977) and Sabas Sultana (1982). The urban middle class forms the focus of her short stories and novels. In recognition of her contribution to bangla literature she was honoured with the Agrani Bank Award (1983). She died in Dhaka on 26 January 1989. Wakil Ahmed.

Advocate Sahara Katun

Advocate Sahara Khatun is a Bangladeshi politician and the current Home Minister in the Government of Bangladesh. Khatun is a member of Parliament, and the current law secretary of the Awami League. Sahara Khatun was born in Kurmitola in Dhaka on March 01, 1943. She completed BA and LLB degrees. She is the founding president of Bangladesh Awami League Parishad and General Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Samity, as well as a member of the International Women Lawyers' Association and the International Women's Alliance. Sahara Khatun has been involved in politics since student life. She is a parliament member and the Home Affairs Minister of Bangladesh Government. She was elected a member of parliament (MP) from Dhaka-18 constituency in December 29, 2008 National Election. Sahara Khatun pledged to people in her constituency that she would reconstruct the roads and improve the drainage system in the area.

Advocate Motia Chowdury

Matia Chowhdury once again showed a great example of true leadership. Our leaders should walk in the shoes of an average citizen to understand their agony, their day to day problem. For Bangladesh, it is only Motia, a loner and the brightest in her orbit which is unparallel. She is humble and serene like the nature of Bangladesh, yet so feisty like a monsoon river on the street of protests. When patriotism and honesty were traded for comfort and wealth by the once valiant heroes of our political past, they gradually lost their moral shelter and repugnantly transformed into a herd of rats, bats and mules. But to Motia, virtues and reasons are the irreversible concept of life. That concept lures her to the street, gives her strength to barricade the goliath of evils for the protection of her kinfolk. Every starved person of her country is her kin. Therefore when she stands in the line for rice and waits for hours oblivious of scorching sun and weariness of recent ailment, she reflects one of the millions, famished. Will the children fall asleep hungry tonight – that is her only agony now. She is Motia , the ‘Agni Kanya’ evolved through age and experience to become Banga Kanya, the daughter of Bangladesh.

Advocate Tarana Halim

Lawmakers, Tarana Halim expressed her solidarity with the campaign. It is the responsibility of everyone to resist repression on women, she said, adding that such repression will continue unabated unless women get recognition for their contribution to the family and society. Speaking at the programme, Home Minister Sahara Khatun said concerted efforts of men and women can Although there are some tough laws against torture of women, they cannot always be enforced properly due to various reasons, she added. The local EU Presidency and the Delegation of the European Commission in a statement expressed their solidarity and support with the continued efforts to combat gender-based violence in Bangladesh. Odhikar held a discussion at the National Press Club with a call to work together to combat violence against women. A study of Odhikar showed that from January 1, 2009 to October 30, 2009 a total of 55 women fell victims to acid violence, 209 women and girls (under 16) were raped, including 4 by law enforcers, and 277 were victims of dowry.