C T Online Desk: BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman has outlined a plan to strengthen women’s safety across digital and public life, arguing that Bangladesh cannot progress if women “live in fear.”
In a statement posted on his verified Facebook page on Thursday (November 20) — alongside a photo with his wife and daughter on his 61st birthday, he said technology’s reach has expanded opportunity but also risk, with many women facing harassment, intimidation, bullying and violence simply for speaking, studying, working or living freely.
“Women must be safe — online and offline, at home and outside, in their personal lives and professional journeys,” he wrote, presenting the programme as part of a future-focused, rights-based vision.
Rahman said the BNP would prioritise a national online safety system to let women rapidly report cyberbullying, threats and the exposure of personal data through a 24/7 hotline, an online portal and trained responders who act quickly and respectfully.
He called for clear protection protocols for women in public life so journalists, workers, students and community leaders who face attacks can access swift legal and digital assistance and lodge complaints safely, ensuring no woman is silenced for participating in civic life.
Education is another pillar: practical digital-security skills would be embedded in school and university orientations, with trained teachers serving as focal points and annual awareness campaigns to help young people navigate online spaces with confidence.
At the community level, Tarique Rahman proposed measures to deter violence and harassment in everyday settings — including help desks, safer transport routes, improved street lighting and trauma-sensitive responders — to make public spaces genuinely safer for women.
He also urged a nationwide push to expand women’s leadership, from classrooms to workplaces, through leadership training and mentoring networks designed to enable women to contribute fully in decision-making roles.
“Whatever our politics, religion, ethnicity or gender, we should unite around one truth,” he said. “Bangladesh must be a place where women are safe, supported and empowered.”
He called for collective action to turn that vision into reality “for our daughters and future generations.”
