Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman has stated the government is working by giving the highest priority to the welfare of the people, human rights, and women’s rights. To this end, on Tuesday, just 21 days after the current government assumed office, the Family Card issuance programme has been launched as an important initiative at the national level.
He made these remarks as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Rights, Justice, and Implementation for All Women and Girls” organised by Manusher Jonno Foundation on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2026 at the Military Museum auditorium at Bijoy Sarani in the capital on Tuesday.
He informed that initially, as a pilot project, approximately 37,000 Family Cards have been issued, and the ownership of these cards has been given in the name of the homemaker or female member of the family. He noted that this initiative has been taken with the aim of ensuring respect, love, responsibility, and the rights of women.
Referring to motivating women for their awakening in 117 public rallies during the last national parliamentary election, the law minister said he is in principle in favour of forming a Women’s Commission. However, due to the formation of successive commissions in the country, conflicts sometimes arise in their responsibilities.
He said, “An ordinance has been passed regarding our National Human Rights Commission, which includes the Disappearances Commission. With the inclusion of the Disappearances Commission, the Human Rights Commission will have to be busy with the investigation work of the Disappearances Commission. This might hinder the core work of human rights. Therefore, we need to reconsider this law. Although the government’s policy is to reduce enforced disappearances to zero.”
Highlighting the necessity of a Women’s Commission, he said that women have become targets of fundamentalists in the country. Therefore, it is extremely important to raise awareness among women. The government is raising awareness among women through various initiatives. If women become aware, a strong foundation will be created for Bangladesh to move forward.
Regarding women’s rights, citing his own example, the law minister said he has two daughters but no son. According to the provisions of Sharia law, his daughters will not get the entire share of the wealth he acquires. Therefore, there is a need to think about alternative legal arrangements.
Regarding illegal arrests, he said the government has already controlled the trade of illegal arrests. The culture of filing false cases is also on the verge of being stopped. He expressed hope that if everyone cooperates in this regard, the tendency to file false cases will decrease further.
Seeking the cooperation of civil society in preventing corruption, the law minister said that civil society must play the role of a watchdog to ensure that government ministers can come out of the “Begum Para” culture.
He mentioned that a report in Time magazine stated that approximately $234 billion were laundered from Bangladesh in the last 16 years. With this money, “Begum Para” was created in Canada, the UK, Singapore, and Dubai; ‘second homes’ were built in Malaysia; and various resorts were developed in the Caribbean region.
The law minister said, “If money laundering abroad stops, if the country’s wealth remains in the country and can be used to make women economically self-reliant through programs like the Family Card, they will emerge from ignorance and become aware of their rights. This will also help women move out of being targets of fundamentalism, and the establishment of their rights will become stronger.”
The seminar, moderated by Shaheen Anam, Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, also featured speeches by Swiss Ambassador to Bangladesh Reto Renggli, NGO Affairs Bureau Director General Md. Daud Mia, UN Women Representative in Bangladesh Gitanjali Singh, UN Special Rapporteur Irene Khan, and Barrister Sara Hossain, Executive Director of the human rights organization BLAST.
