Nari Unnayan Shakti inaugurated campaign to prevent violence against women

Nari Unnayan Shakti (NUS) inaugurated the campaign programmefor 16 days to prevent Gender-Based Violence.  The Campaign launched with a participatoryevent held at the NUS Training Centre at Banasree in Dhaka. This campaign will beobserved from 25 November to 10 December 2025 to raise awareness and strengthencollective action to prevent all forms of violence against women.

This year inauguration was organized by Nari UnnayanShakti (NUS) with support from the Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BSAF),Forum for Culture and Human Development (FCHD), and Young Women for DevelopmentRights & Climate (YWDRC).

Dr. Afroja Parvin, Executive Director of NUS, delivered thekeynote speech at the event. She highlighted the importance of coordinatedefforts by communities, government agencies, and civil society to eliminateviolence against women and girls. She stated, “Violence against women is notonly a women’s issue; it is a social problem that requires immediate andconsistent action. Given the current context, it is essential for theGovernment of Bangladesh have to  increase the national budget allocated to preventingviolence against women.”

Shahida Wahab, Chairperson of FCHD, emphasized the need forcultural transformation to prevent gender-based violence. She noted thatawareness, education, and women’s empowerment are the three key elementsnecessary for building a society free from discrimination and violence.

Dr. Sultan Mohammad Razzak Spoke on behalf of BSAF. He said,the women’s rights and the protection of adolescents and children isinterconnected. He explained that violence against adolescent girls haslong-term negative impacts on both families and society.

Representing YWDRC, officer Selina Khatun spoke about thevulnerabilities faced by young women amid social and climate-related crises.She called for greater youth involvement and climate-sensitive policies to preventviolence against women.

At the end of the program, participants collectively pledgedto work together toward building a violence-free society. A discussion sessionwas later held with participants from various sectors.