Whither women’s rights in Bangladesh?

If the state neglects women’s rights, their place in society and politics could likely shrink further.

A few days ago, Islamic political parties, led by the conservative Hefazat-e-Islam (HeI), rallied in Dhaka’s sprawling Suhrawardy Udyan to address 20,000 supporters who were demanding the winding up of the Women’s Affairs Reform Commission set up by the interim regime and the appointment of a new Commission comprising Islamic scholars as well as representatives from “devout segments of the female population ”.