Bangladesh has set aside 50 seats for women in its parliament as part of efforts to ensure their representation at the highest level of elected governance. 

However, the activities of the female MPs from reserved seats, made up of mostly politicians along with leaders of other fields, appear narrowly confined to delivering speeches in parliament and attending committee meetings. 

Experts say the role of the reserved seat MPs is equal to the elected members from 300 constituencies, but the constitution does not state anything clearly about their area-based scope of work or responsibilities. It only states they will remain in the reserved seats. 

The leader of the House occasionally divides the responsibilities of areas or districts among the reserved seat MPs for development efforts. 

The current number of reserved seats for women in the parliament is 50. The national assembly extended the maintenance of the reserved seats for the next 25 years following the 17th amendment to the Constitution. 

The 50 MPs elected to the reserved seats in the 12th parliament took their oath of office on Feb 28 following their nomination by the parties, who are allocated the reserved seats in proportion to the constituencies they have won. 

During the launch of the orientation programme for the newly elected reserved seat MPs on Mar 3, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury said nobody can come to parliament unelected, while the MPs from reserved women's seats are elected by parliament. 

“The Constitution is the supreme law of Bangladesh. The state is governed in the light of this. All activities of the parliament are conducted under the rules of procedure. The women MPs must have a proper understanding of the order,” she said. 

Leading rights activist and social worker Aroma Dutta, granddaughter of Language Movement legend and 1971 martyr Dhirendranath Dutta, has become a reserved seat MP for the second term. She vowed to work for the development of the Cumilla district. 

“The importance of the MPs in reserved women’s seats is a lot as it’s a new circle. It would have been better if they were given an orientation to the rules and responsibilities of MPs” 

“The reserved seat MPs have a great scope to work at the policy level and in the standing committees. They are experienced in organisation and women empowerment,” Dutta said. 

Waseqa Ayesha Khan, the finance and planning secretary of the Awami League who is serving her third straight term as a reserved seat MP, believes there are no restrictions on reserved seat MPs much like those who are directly elected to parliament by winning the popular vote. 

Nurun Nahar Begum, a reserved seat parliament member representing the opposition Jatiya Party, said the government has to ensure that women MPs can play their role in parliament. 

Even though the facilities and powers are the same, the stakeholders emphasised there should be no discrimination in the allocation of development projects. 

Citing the patriarchal social structure and obstacles faced by women in many sectors, the Jatiya Party vice chairman said, “Women have to face many problems when they go to work. Many of them have to endure abusive language. This needs to be changed. Women are trying their best to continue working.” 

All 350 MPs share equal functions and power, said AK Mohammad Hossain, a former joint secretary at the Parliament Secretariat. 

“Everyone in parliament is working for the country. The reserved seat MPs will play a role in lawmaking. They will hold people accountable through the parliamentary standing committee. They have their roles per the law in their respective fields.” 

Election analyst Abdul Alim said the women MPs from reserved seats are barred from their roles in parliament because they cannot present their issues in the way they should. 

“The participation of women in parliament is relatively less. More steps need to be taken to improve this." 

The analyst said that women are still lagging in the field of politics despite having a woman as the head of government for over three decades. 

He recommended women's inclusion in each party’s district and upazila-level central committees. 

“No political party has more than 20 percent women in its central committee. Many have even less. That’s why the parties need to create a roadmap.” 

“The Election Commission may ask each registered party to prepare an annual roadmap. By the end of each year, they will set a target of what percentage they can achieve, which will be submitted to the EC for monitoring. It is very important.” 

Speaker Shirin also spoke on the issue recently in her speech at a meeting of the Women Speakers Summit organised by the French National Assembly in Paris. 

"Instead of 33 percent, there are only 22 to 24 percent women in political parties currently. The parties should nominate more women to raise the participation of women in politics through direct elections. Appropriate laws and policies must be adopted in this regard,” she said at the summit.