We need to create space for dialogue on sexual, reproductive health: Speakers

There is not enough space for discussing sexual and reproductive health, which needs to be changed, said Syed M Nuruddin, lead SRHR (interim), Plan International Bangladesh.

"Society often does not consider sexual and reproductive health to be issues to be given attention to," he said during a panel discussion titled "Women's Health and Wellness Challenges" organised by Shaathi Bangladesh Limited on 4 March on the occasion of International Women's Day.

Cultural barriers triggered by patriarchy is the reason behind sexual and reproductive health being a taboo topic of discussion not only in rural areas but in the towns as well, said Syed M Nuruddin.

The event brought together experts, advocates, and community members to explore the multifaceted challenges surrounding women's health and wellness.

"We believe that by fostering open dialogue and collaboration, we can work towards addressing the systemic barriers that prevent women from accessing quality healthcare and achieving optimal wellness," said Mifrah Zahir, founder of Shaathi who initiated the session which was moderated by Elita Karim, singer and journalist.

"Everyone deserves access to Safe hygienic and affordable period products," she added.

In regards to ensuring reproductive health Shaathi Bangladesh produces reusable menstrual products by employing women in the Korail Slum. A video showcasing the organisation's work was played during the panel discussion.

The other participants of the panel discussion were Marianne Oehlers, programme manager, generation unlimited, Unicef and Zareen Mahmud, founder of Cholpori.

Marianne Oehlers said women face different types of barriers in accessing menstrual products. In most workplaces the number of female employees is considerably lower than men. This can be attributed to women feeling unsafe to come to the office and often prefer to do jobs and training online.

"We have to ensure women have a voice at various levels. We need to do that with partners like national, international NGOs, youth led organisations, corporate sector as well as government," she added.

Education and skilling cannot be done without access to health services as well as protection services, said Marianne while adding that Unicef is trying to set up community hubs with social workers to help facilitate women get access to essential services.

Zareen Mahmud, founder of Cholpori said, "We were running a reading fellowship from herstory but young children wouldn't be able to read due to lack of literacy and numeracy. That's how Cholpori started [which is a digital learning platform aligned with the national curriculum which caters to 25 million students]."

She also said, in a bid to empower women, Cholpori is trying to make studying gender inclusive by going against the gender norms.