Women's rights activists and civil society organizations in Bangladesh have voiced deep concern over a sharp rise in misogyny and hatred against women, linked to a recent surge in religious fanaticism and fundamentalism. The concerns were raised during a special consultation meeting held on August 2 at the central office of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad in Dhaka, organized by the Citizens' Initiative for CEDAW Bangladesh (CIC-BD) platform to draft a shadow report ahead of the upcoming review by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Participants strongly demanded that the Government of Bangladesh immediately withdraw its long-standing reservations on Article 2 (policy obligations to eliminate discrimination against women) and Article 16.1(c) (equal rights in marriage and family relations) of the CEDAW Convention, arguing these reservations obstruct equal rights for women. The meeting also resolved to push for a 'Uniform Family Code' and amendments to discriminatory family laws in the shadow report.

Key issues identified for inclusion in the report include fundamentalism and mob violence, misogynistic hate speech online and offline, weak legal protections against gender-based violence and workplace sexual harassment, patriarchal norms, child labor, human trafficking, illegal migration, and precarious social security. Dr. Fauzia Moslem, President of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad, who presided over the meeting, highlighted the growing threat of fundamentalism-driven hate speech against women and called for including the gendered impact of energy and environmental policies in the report. General Secretary Maleka Banu delivered the welcome address, while gender specialist Ferdousi Sultana Begum presented an analysis.