LEDARS organized Advocacy Workshop with the Shrimp Owners at Shyamnagar Public Library Hall Room on 29 August 2023 to ensure equal wages for both men and women simultaneously in the shrimp farms under the project Empowering Women through Civil Society Actors in Bangladesh (EWCSA) funded by Oxfam Bangladesh and European Union,. The workshop was presided over by Master Md. Nazrul Islam, Freedom Fighter and President of LEDARS while the Chief Guest was Md. Akhter Hossain, Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) of Shyamnagar, Satkhira. Ms. Khaleda Ayub Doli, Upazila Women Vice-Chairman, Mr. Manobendra Debnath, Assistant Professor of Atorjan Women College and Member of LEDARS, Mr. Zahid Sumon, General Secretary of Shyamnagar Upazila Press Club, Ms Rekha Rani Mridha, General Secretary of of Shyamnagar Shrimp Workers Development Alliance were present as special Guests. At the beginning of the workshop, Mr. Mohon Kumar Mondal, Executive Director of LEDARS delivered welcome speech. The workshop was moderated by Debbrota Gain and also addressed by others Md. Alim Al Razi, Program Manager, Showkat Hossain, Field Coordinator and Tomalika Mollick, Advocacy Officer of LEDARS.
The Chief Guest said, “Women workers in shrimp farms are deprived to get fair wages. He urged upon the shrimp farm owners to increase their wages considering the rising the prices of market commodities”. He also emphasized on the need to provide toilet facilities to women workers and to build sheds so that women workers can take temporary rest in the hot sun. At the end the workshop, an open discussion was held where the shrimp farm owners promised to increase the wages of the women workers along with enabling safe drinking water and toilet facilities. A total of 31 representatives including 20 Shrimp Farm Owners of Shyamnagar and 11 representatives of Women Shrimp Workers Development Alliance participated in this workshop.
