State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaid Islam said on Thursday (September 3) that the Family Card scheme is playing an effective role in empowering women. She was speaking at a seminar organized by Bangladesh Mahila Parishad to mark CEDAW Day.

The minister noted that despite the recent uprising and political transition, women's representation in parliament has not increased, and new women leaders are still not vocal enough about asserting their rights. She emphasized that women's contribution to Bangladesh's very existence has been immense, yet their social status has never been elevated to the desired level. She added that the current government is taking an effective stance to ensure women's equal rights, empowerment, and dignity.

Other speakers at the seminar urged political parties to show greater sincerity in increasing women's representation in parliament. They also called for women's equal rights to be recognized as a fundamental right rather than treated as a favor or a grant, stressing that genuine progress requires structural and political commitment rather than symbolic gestures.