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The students from the Department of Law, East West University attended the Inauguration Ceremony and the first dialogue of the “Policy Dialogue Series on Gender Equality and Development,” titled “Achieving Gender Equality Before the Law in Bangladesh,” organized jointly by the Centre for Gender and Development Studies (CGDS) of University of Dhaka, UN Women and the European Union. The event was held on Tuesday, 11 August, at the Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury Auditorium, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Dhaka. This event was attended by students and academics from different institutions.

Seven law students from East West University attended the event, namely Syeda Nabila Haque, Ashes Laskar, Turna Sarwar, Khalid Bin Masud Saikat, Md. Assadullah Al Galib, Ashraful Chowdhury and Khandker Nahianul Islam Ontor led by Ms. Farzana Rifat Siddique, Senior Lecturer of Department of Law, East West University.

The inauguration ceremony began with the keynote address, delivered by Dr. Shahnaz Huda, Professor of Law, University of Dhaka, who highlighted the continuing gender bias against women within the laws, questioning how effectively existing reforms are monitored and implemented in Bangladesh. Professor Dr. A.B.M. Obaidul Islam, Vice-Chancellor, University of Dhaka, graced the ceremony as Chief Guest and spoke on the structural barriers women continue to face in accessing justice. The inauguration ceremony was also attended by Navanita Sinha, Deputy Representative of UN Women and Kazi Mahbubur Rahman, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Dhaka who shared their insightful opinions on relevant issues.

Following the inauguration, the first policy dialogue took place, chaired and moderated by Dr. Sanzida Akhter, Director, CGDS, bringing together Dr. Taslima Yasmin, Associate Professor, Department of Law, University of Dhaka; Barrister Sara Hossain, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of Bangladesh; Masuda Rehana Begum, Advocate and Joint General Secretary, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad and Jayasri Samaddar, Associate Professor, Uttara University. Together, the panelists examined the existing legislative gaps on the issues of gender-based discrimination against women, the role of social movements in driving legal reform, and the deep social roots of gender-based violence within families. The dialogue allowed students to engage directly with the panelists following which the session converged on a shared conclusion: enacting laws alone is not enough, and achieving gender equality in Bangladesh requires effective implementation, judicial accountability, and a shift in discriminatory social attitudes.