UN Women Bangladesh has organised a gender fair and photo exhibition for ‘Addressing Violence against Women’ on Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) campus in the capital.
UN Women Bangladesh, in collaboration with School of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences, organised the awareness campaign on violence against women on Sunday, says a media statement.
16 days of activism against gender-based violence is an international campaign implemented worldwide by UN Women to challenge violence against women and girls.
The campaign runs every year from November 25 that starts with executing International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and ends on December 10 with Human Rights Day.
The international campaign originated from the first Women's Global Leadership Institute coordinated by the Center for Women's Global Leadership in 1991.
Prof. M. Omar Rahman, Vice Chancellor, IUB and Shoko Ishikawa, Country Representative, UN Women Bangladesh were present as guests of honour of the daylong event.
Shoko Ishikawa briefly described the scenario of violence against women in Bangladesh. She mentioned that sexual harassment in workplaces, educational institutions and public places is still rife.
Ishikawa also informed the audiences that according to UN Women Bangladesh’s recent situational analysis in eight universities, 76 per cent of female students have come across sexual harassment incidences.
Prof. M. Omar Rahman congratulated UN Women Bangladesh for organising such a significant programme.
He appreciated that Bangladesh have been the pioneer in political sphere; women are showing the path and leading from the front in Bangladesh’s progressive development, he added.
To mark the campaign, booths were installed at IUB where myth and stereotypes of women were displayed. Guests, faculties, administrative officials and students visited booths and also admired the arts. As part of photo exhibition, there had been 3 winners from more than 60 works.
Wasif Mostafa became first while Dewan Forhad and Sabrina Afrin grabbed second & third prizes.