Women in village police vital for grassroots justice
The need to strengthen village courts and recruit women members in village police is needed to ensure justice at the grassroots level, local government Minister Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said on Monday.
He said improving the effectiveness of local government institutions and increasing women’s participation in governance were essential to making local government activities more transparent, effective and people-friendly.
The minister made the remarks during a meeting at the Secretariat with a four-member delegation from the United Nations Development Programme led by Deputy Resident Representative Sonali Dayaratne.
Fakhrul said women members of village police could play an important role in addressing social issues by working closely with women and children at the community level.
The meeting also highlighted the importance of increasing women’s participation in local government.
Both sides discussed the current activities, progress and institutional strengthening of village courts.
Emphasis was placed on making village courts more effective in ensuring easy, speedy and low-cost justice for rural people.
The minister said village courts have been playing a significant role in resolving rural disputes for more than a century.
Fakhrul noted that quick settlement of minor disputes at the local level would reduce pressure on higher courts while ensuring accessible justice for ordinary citizens.
He further said strengthening the capacity of local government institutions is essential for the effective implementation of government development and social protection programmes. In this regard, he added that technical and institutional support from development partners could play a vital role.
Both the Bangladesh government and UNDP expressed optimism about further strengthening cooperation to improve the effectiveness of village courts, ensure justice at the local level and promote women’s empowerment.
Senior officials of the ministry, including Local Government Division Secretary Md. Shahidul Hassan, were present at the meeting.
