A discussion on the themes of International Women’s Day 2025 – ‘Accelerate Action’ and ‘For all women and girls: rights, equality, and empowerment’ – with Khushi Kabir, a social activist, feminist, environmentalist, and the secretary of Nijera Kori.
Khushi Kabir is a distinguished Bangladeshi feminist and human rights advocate whose transformative work in women’s rights and social justice began in the wake of Bangladesh’s liberation in 1972. With an unwavering commitment to empowering marginalised communities, she has spent more than three decades challenging systemic inequities and championing the voices of women, indigenous peoples, and rural populations. Her approach, deeply rooted in grassroots activism and community-led initiatives, has advanced gender equality and environmental justice while fostering a broader culture of democratic participation and secular values. Kabir’s fearless dedication, even in the face of significant opposition, has solidified her reputation as a leader at the forefront of social reform. Her relentless pursuit of a more equitable society has garnered national and international recognition. Her contributions have not only reshaped the landscape of social activism in Bangladesh but continue to inspire new generations of leaders striving for justice. Today, Khushi Kabir serves as a beacon of inspiration and a driving force for change, dedicating herself to the cause of human dignity and equality for all.
Social Activist
Human Rights Activist
Environmentalist
Secretary of Nijera Kori
Within the context of Bangladesh, what concrete steps can we take to align with the themes of International Women’s Day 2025?
There are two parts to the theme. The first is to ‘Accelerate Action’ meaning we must take specific, clear, and strong steps. The second is to ensure that ‘all’ women and girls, regardless of their social, economic, ethnic, or cultural background have their rights, equality, and empowerment ensured. This necessity is highly relevant within the context of Bangladesh because women are still not looked at and perceived as equals. While the statistics show that compared to the past, discrepancies have decreased, we have not yet reached an acceptable level of women’s empowerment. And with regard to rights, we are still a far cry away.
The concrete steps we can take must ensure that we not only have laws and policies but that they are properly implemented. There are women in the informal sector, in businesses, offices, workplaces, NGOs, agricultural fields and in the labour sector, and they all deserve to have their rights recognised, be treated equally, and be empowered.
The biggest concern right now is that these laws and policies are not being implemented by people who are committed enough to understand and identify what it is that women are asking for. This is creating lapses and gaps because the country still rests upon a very strong patriarchal mindset. Our culture is dictated by a certain social norm where men tell women what to do and what not to do, which creates a division. Men are considered decision-makers while women are expected to be subservient and play a supportive role. This mindset is our biggest barrier. To overcome this, we need to have that spirit inside us that we, as a whole society, must understand that we need to change. Unfortunately, that has not yet happened.
What are some of the biggest obstacles that women in marginalised communities are facing in fully realising their rights, equality, and empowerment?
The patriarchal mindset that controls the way women are asked to act and behave is ever more prevalent in marginalised communities. The mindset is that when a girl is born, she is expected to learn to adjust throughout her life as she has to get married and live in somebody else’s home and according to their rules. A boy does not have these expectations imposed on him.
You often hear men say that they “allow” their wives to work. But a woman is an individual and a human being in her own right. She should be able to decide what she wants to do. Women in marginalised communities work in fields as agricultural labourers like the men there. But where a man gets paid 500 taka a day, a woman gets 250 to 300 taka for the same work because of the presumption that women’s wages should be lower. This logic is incomprehensible to me.
You also see that in marginalised communities, a woman living on her own and being unmarried is unheard of. The ones in charge there, those who are more powerful than her, are very afraid of any woman who is strong, capable, and has a mind of her own. They will do everything to try and stop her. They suppress her by use of violence and force, by badmouthing her and tarnishing her character so that her whole family is victimised. A man would never be subjected to this treatment.
How can we effectively measure progress in women’s rights, equality, and empowerment beyond surface-level indicators to ensure that we are not just seeing change at the top but also at the grassroots level?
We have a lot of quantitative indicators, such as maternal mortality rates, life expectancy, and primary school enrolment and we have seen great progress there. But, we want to look beyond that. For example, around the time of our liberation, our population was 75 million which was around 55% of the population of Pakistan. Now independent, our population is 180 million, while Pakistan’s is 200 million. This indicates that our population growth rate has gone down since ‘71, meaning the number of pregnancies per woman has gone down.
The bigger picture beyond the stats is that women have been able to make this decision to not want more children while at the same time, son preference has gone down. There was a time when in poorer families, more boys meant more working people bringing in more money. But, things have changed now and the focus is on having fewer children so that their parents may give them a better life, given that women nowadays have much better employment opportunities.
This is a qualitative approach to measuring progress. Instead of numbers, we observe the level of involvement of women in decision-making, the reasons behind their decisions, and the level of freedom to make their own choices. We look at whether there are enough schools, health centres, and qualified doctors in the area, because, if these services are available, they will empower women to make choices for themselves.
Essentially, we need to see whether women are able to assert their agency. Whether they can state what they need and then get what they need. If you want to see progress at the grassroots level, these are the changes you need to look for.
It’s also very important to look at things from the perspective of the people at the grassroots level. From their viewpoint, are we seeing the changes that we hope for? Are these changes making a difference? If we are talking about empowerment, do we understand what they mean by ‘empowerment’? So, we have to start measuring progress qualitatively and assess whether there have been positive changes, whether they are enough, or do we need to go further still.
THIS TRANSITIONAL PERIOD IS A CRUCIAL TIME FOR THE GOVERNMENT TO MAKE KEY CHANGES. THE CHANGES MADE TODAY COULD PAVE THE WAY FOR ACCELERATED ACTION FOR RIGHTS, EQUALITY, AND EMPOWERMENT FOR ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS.
How can we ensure that women’s voices are meaningfully represented in the political process, both during this transitional period and in the long term, so that their concerns are addressed in policy and legislation?
The interim government has set up several commissions that either don’t have women or include only a few. Ideally, there should be an adequate representation of women in these commissions especially because there are several qualified women for the job. The one commission led by a woman is entirely female, which, too is a drawback because true gender equality means you need men to identify issues in male perceptions.
We have seen multiple reports emphasising the importance of greater female participation in politics. But would that ensure equal status for women, or would that merely increase their numbers in certain positions while perpetuating the existing system?
In my view, increasing numbers alone is not enough. We need to have people of quality who believe in equality in those positions. We have had women prime ministers since 1991, except during 2007 and 2008, but, were they effective in making a change? So, while equal representation is important, so is ensuring that those in power do not view women as subordinate or inferior.
This transitional period is a crucial time for the government to make key changes. The changes made today could pave the way for accelerated action for rights, equality, and empowerment for all women and girls.
Photographs by Shihab Mohammad
