Bangladesh’s Ministry of Women and Children Affairs will posthumously award former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia the “Best Indomitable Woman in Advancing Democracy” accolade. The award ceremony, part of the Indomitable Women Award program, will take place on International Women’s Day 2026 at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium in Dhaka. Khaleda Zia is being recognized for her unwavering leadership in the fight for democracy in Bangladesh and her significant contributions to upholding the democratic process, as reported by The Dhaka Tribune.
Five other women, including Nurun Nahar Akter, Bobita Khatun, Nurbanu Kabir, Shamla Begum, and Afroza Yasmin, will also be honored as “Best Indomitable Women” in various categories this year. These awards come amidst concerns raised by critics regarding the limited representation of women candidates in the recent parliamentary elections in Bangladesh and their exclusion from decision-making processes. The Election Commission of Bangladesh disclosed statistics in January, revealing a significant gender gap in candidate representation despite women constituting half of the population.
Reports indicate a stark lack of female representation in several political parties during the elections. The radical Islamist party Jamaat-e-Islami fielded 276 candidates without a single woman, while the BNP, previously led by a woman for over four decades, nominated only 10 women out of 328 aspirants for the 300 seats. Various parties, such as Bangladesh Khilafat Majlis, Khilafat Majlis, and the Bangladesh Islami Front (BIF), completely excluded women from their candidate lists. The 13th parliamentary elections in Bangladesh saw the lowest female participation levels, with only seven women winning seats out of 300.
During the eighteen-month tenure of the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, Bangladesh witnessed a rise in violence against women and children.
