BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman has called for building a Bangladesh where every working mother and every female student has the freedom to thrive, instead of being forced to leave work or education due to the lack of adequate childcare.
In a post on his verified Facebook page today, Tarique said the BNP rejects any regressive idea that limits women's potential.
"Empowering women through childcare, equal pay, and workplace safety is not only fairness – it's smart economics," he wrote.
The BNP leader said his party's goal is to build a modern, people-centred Bangladesh where no woman must choose between her family and her future.
"What happens when a young mother leaves her job or a female student drops out because she cannot find adequate childcare? Bangladesh loses out on potential, productivity, and progress," he added.
Citing the 2024 BBS Labour Force Survey, Tarique said only 43 percent of women participate in the labour market compared to 80 percent of men.
"That gap is warning us that we are leaving more than half of our nation's talent behind," he noted.
Tarique said the BNP is considering launching a nationwide initiative to make childcare a core part of Bangladesh's economic growth strategy.
The proposed plan includes: Setting up daycare centres in all public universities; gradually establishing daycare facilities in government offices and making it mandatory for large private institutions and factories to provide childcare facilities.
He said the initiative would also include tax incentives and CSR credits for employers offering childcare, alongside training and certification for caregivers under standards set by the Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs.
"This single reform can help raise women's employment, increase family income, allow the growing middle class to find financial stability, and add up to 1 percent to our GDP," Tarique stated.
He observed that women make up nearly two-thirds of the garments industry workforce, and their contribution should not be undervalued.
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