On the occasion of the International Women’s Day 2023, ARTICLE 19 organised three live talk shows with three Community Radio namely BU Radio, Radio Bikrampur and Radio Din Raat in Barisal and Dhaka divisions. Besides, a live talk show with Radio Today in Dhaka will be held on Thursday, March 09, 2023 and essays competition and four interviews among Barishal University students organised by BU Radio will be held on Monday, March 13, 2012.

Nasreen Jahan, Additional Superintendent of Police, 10 APBN, Barisal, Advocate Sohana Tahmina, Editor, Dainik Munshiganj Khabar, Advocate Shamsunnahar Shilpi, Chairman, Jatiya Mohila Songstha, Munshiganj, local journalists, CSOs, representatives of Dalits, leader of students wing of a political party, Transgenders, ethnic minorities attended the three live talk shows as discussants. The speakers discussed about empowering women by using technology, increase of women’s involvement in the information technology sector, participation of women in politics, bullying and harassment of women in online, equal rights, safe work place, freedom of expression, the right to assembly, and the right to protest.

United Nations declared 8th March as International Women’s Day. The theme of the day this year is “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”

ARTICLE 19 South Asia Regional Director Faruq Faisel said, “There is no alternative to enhancing women’s communication and information technology skills to face the challenges of 21^st century. In Bangladesh, women are far behind in the use of communication & information technology than their men counterpart. Government and other relevant stakeholders need to take effective steps to increase communication and information technology literacy of women. Proper measures should be taken to ensure safe online use and to stop online bullying and harassment.”

ARTICLE 19 in partnership with Plan International Bangladesh hosted these radio talk-shows as part of its series of initiatives under the project “Our Voices Our Choices: Women and Youth for Democratic Civic Space (OVOC)”. The project aims to ensure that young people, especially women and girls in Bangladesh enjoy fundamental human rights and are actively engaged in improving their lives and communities through inclusive, effective, pluralistic and their civic participation as responsible citizen. The project is funded by the European Commission.

These live radio talk-shows included viewers and listeners on Facebook i.e. BU Radio, Radio Bikrampur and Radio Din Raat as well, who shared their questions and opinions on safe use of information and communication technology, safe work-environment, women’s participation in the civic space engagement, social discrimination, inequality of opportunities, insecurity.