Shama Obaed Seeks International Cooperation to Combat Digital Harassment

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has called for international cooperation and support from UN Women to combat digital harassment against women.

She made the appeal during a meeting with Gitanjali Singh, Country Representative of UN Women in Bangladesh, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday (August 3).

During the meeting, Singh briefed the State Minister on UN Women’s ongoing programmes aimed at advancing women’s empowerment and gender equality in Bangladesh. She also expressed appreciation for the continued support provided by the Government of Bangladesh in implementing the organization’s initiatives.

Shama Obaed highlighted various government measures to promote women’s empowerment, including expanding educational opportunities for girls and introducing citizen-focused programmes such as Family Cards and Farmer Cards. She reiterated Bangladesh’s proposal to establish a global platform to address digital harassment against women and sought UN Women’s partnership in advancing the initiative.

The State Minister also stressed the importance of continued international cooperation to address the disproportionate impact of climate change on women and girls.

On the Rohingya issue, she emphasized the need for sustained support from UN agencies to facilitate the early and safe repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar. She also underscored the importance of addressing humanitarian funding gaps and ensuring justice and accountability for serious human rights violations committed against Rohingya women and girls.

The two sides further discussed Bangladesh’s upcoming engagement at the 71st Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), the country’s national reporting on the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), and preparations for the next National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (NAP-WPS).

Fazle Rabbi Palash, Special Correspondent, The Mirror News