In October 2024, two months after the monsoon revolution in Bangladesh toppled Sheikh Hasina as prime minister and Awami League government, four gender experts wrote a column in the Bangladesh newspaper Prathom Alo about the women leaders of the movement. They said that these women had been invisibilised in the initiatives and discussions around rebuilding Bangladesh.
In the months since Hasina's ouster and the formation of an interim government, Bangladesh has also seen a resurgence of its Islamic parties, particularly the Jamaat-e-Islami, in the country's politics. This has raised concerns about these parties trying to enforce restrictions on women's participation in public life. There has also been much discussion across the country about incidents of violence against women. In March, students from 30 colleges in Dhaka held a protest against what they called a rise in violence, rape and torture of women, demanding that the interim government institute maximum punishments for perpetrators. This protest ended in clashes between the protesters and law enforcement.
On this episode of State of Southasia, sociologist and gender expert Samina Luthfa speaks to associate editor Nayantara Narayanan about the present status of women in Bangladesh, what is happening with the feminist movement, and how the country's politics – which is still in a state of flux – is affecting women. Luthfa explains that the interim government has failed in providing women protection. At the same time, she says, some incidents have been overblown and politicised to build a perception that Bangladesh has become more unsafe since the change of government.
Listen to the full episode on Spotify, Apple podcasts and YouTube.
State of Southasia releases a new interview every two weeks.
Episode notes:
Samina Luthfa’s recommendations:
Sisters in the Mirror: A History of Muslim Women and the Global Politics of Feminism – Elora Shehabuddi (non-fiction)
Sultana’s Dream - Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (fiction)
Further reading from Himal’s archives:
Bangladesh’s flawed attempt at transitional justice after Sheikh Hasina
The future of Bangladesh’s fragile media freedom
New reports caution Bangladesh against “replicating poor practices” of the Sheikh Hasina regime
India’s warped narrative of an “anti-Hindu” Bangladesh imperils its own future standing
State of Southasia #11: Jyoti Rahman on rebuilding democracy in Bangladesh
How Pakistan still shuts women out of political power
Can Sri Lanka’s newly empowered NPP deliver a new dawn for women in politics?