Today was International Women's Day. It is also Mardi Gras. I question the United Nations' wisdom of having such a landmark occasion share a date with one that is most famous for women's self-objectification (read: flashing their boobs). At any rate, Mardi Gras is not celebrated in Bangladesh, so today was all about women's empowerment (and not the kind that comes with beads).
Everyone dressed in their finest. There were saris of a million colors flowing throughout the building all day. At 4pm, the Gender Equality division put on a special show that included cultural presentations and dances. There were children and young people from all over the country singing about marrying later and knowing your rights. The chairman and founder of BRAC, Fazle Hasan Abed, spoke. It was in Bangla, but I am assuming it was both moving and eloquent. The whole day smacked of hope and opportunity. When Bangladesh won its independence in 1972, it was the only country on the planet where men outlived women. Historically, women's lives here were harsh, back-breaking, and short. A World Health Organization report in 2002 listed Bangladesh as the country with one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, and ten years ago it had the fourth highest rate of child marriage.
A lot of that has changed. For example, Maternal Mortality, the measure of how many mothers die in childbirth, has more than halved since 2000. Women's empowerment and legal aid seminars are held almost daily, and recognition of the unacceptability of domestic violence is higher than ever. It is truly a testament to BRAC, and to the determination of other NGOs that work to make a difference in a place where the only direction to go was up.
A narrow canal lies directly across the street from the towering skyscraper that is BRAC headquarters. On the other side of that canal is the largest slum in Dhaka. It houses more then one million people on silty, unstable sand. The only way to access it is by small, makeshift boats that dock on a steep riverbank that is made mostly of trash.
At the end of the ceremony, I followed the crowd out of HQ and into the muggy Dhaka rush hour. As I was walking past the boats that lead to the slum, I saw perhaps a hundred beautifully colored saris stepping delicately into those boats; a rainbow of dreams not quite fulfilled.I stopped and realized that while we've come so far- we have so, so far yet to go.
Everyone dressed in their finest. There were saris of a million colors flowing throughout the building all day. At 4pm, the Gender Equality division put on a special show that included cultural presentations and dances. There were children and young people from all over the country singing about marrying later and knowing your rights. The chairman and founder of BRAC, Fazle Hasan Abed, spoke. It was in Bangla, but I am assuming it was both moving and eloquent. The whole day smacked of hope and opportunity. When Bangladesh won its independence in 1972, it was the only country on the planet where men outlived women. Historically, women's lives here were harsh, back-breaking, and short. A World Health Organization report in 2002 listed Bangladesh as the country with one of the highest rates of domestic violence in the world, and ten years ago it had the fourth highest rate of child marriage.
A lot of that has changed. For example, Maternal Mortality, the measure of how many mothers die in childbirth, has more than halved since 2000. Women's empowerment and legal aid seminars are held almost daily, and recognition of the unacceptability of domestic violence is higher than ever. It is truly a testament to BRAC, and to the determination of other NGOs that work to make a difference in a place where the only direction to go was up.
A narrow canal lies directly across the street from the towering skyscraper that is BRAC headquarters. On the other side of that canal is the largest slum in Dhaka. It houses more then one million people on silty, unstable sand. The only way to access it is by small, makeshift boats that dock on a steep riverbank that is made mostly of trash.
At the end of the ceremony, I followed the crowd out of HQ and into the muggy Dhaka rush hour. As I was walking past the boats that lead to the slum, I saw perhaps a hundred beautifully colored saris stepping delicately into those boats; a rainbow of dreams not quite fulfilled.I stopped and realized that while we've come so far- we have so, so far yet to go.
I really like this description, well said!
ReplyDelete