United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Bangladesh Women Judges Association (BWJA) to address and redress violence against women (VAW) during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative of UNDP Bangladesh and Hosneara Begum, President of BWJA, signed the MoU on behalf of their respective organisations in the city on Saturday.
Under this MoU, both the organisations will work together to identify and analyse existing barriers in laws and the challenges for gender-based violence (GBV) survivors in accessing justice. Qualitative and quantitative research will also be done on the critical areas of reform in justice delivery processes for violence against women (VAW) cases.
While speaking at the signing event, Van said, “Partnership between UNDP and BWJA has been proved effective on previous occasions. The current partnership will be able to showcase the symbol of women’s judicial leadership in Bangladesh and will contribute in improving the access to justice service delivery for women”. She also hoped that this new partnership would be conducive to address issues related to gender-based violence cases in Bangladesh.
Hosneara Begum, President of BWJA, in her remarks, said, “Bangladesh Women Judges Association’s main objective is to upgrade the legal and social status of women in Bangladesh by ensuring proper enforcement of the law.” She further added, “This partnership will enhance women’s legal empowerment in Bangladesh, promote women’s legal and human rights in ensuring access to justice for gender-based violence survivors.”
Along with others, representatives from UNDP and BJWA were also present during the signing ceremony.
