On 10 February 2025, a protest rally in Bangladesh, organized by ‘Khubdha Nari Samaj,’ demanded equal maternity leave rights for working women, criticizing the existing 112-day leave policy.
- The rally, held in front of the National Museum in Shahbagh, emphasized the need for fair rights and security for women in the labor law.
- In November 2023, the ‘Bangladesh Labor (Amendment) Bill-2023’ was passed, proposing a 120-day (four-month) maternity leave, but the bill has yet to come into effect.
- The protesters demanded 6 months of maternity leave.
- Other demands included national minimum wage for both men and women, legal recognition of informal and formal female and male workers, anti-sexual harassment policies, and relaxed conditions for forming trade unions.
- Effective child daycare facilities, recognition of women as agricultural and fishery workers, and laws to ensure safety of domestic workers, sex workers, and expatriate female workers were also demanded.
- Necessary training for participation in the labor market was also among the demands.
- A meeting of the government-employer-worker tripartite committee is scheduled to discuss amendments to the ‘Labor Act 2006’, including the proposed 120-day maternity leave.
Source: Prothom Alo
Bangladesh Feminist Archives 