Voluntary Service Overseas (VSO), VSO Alumni Association Bangladesh, and National Youth Engagement Network -NYEN organized a workshop on “Empowering Students to Take Actions to Achieve Gender Equality” which held on 7th July 2019 at the East West University with the collaboration of the Sociology Club of East West University (SCEWU) and Department of Sociology. The slogan of this workshop was ‘Value Each Other’.

The workshop started with a good anchoring and introducing the activities of the Sociology Club of EWU by two club representatives. Next NYEN President, Joseph Mahtab introduced NYEN and VSO AAB and handed over the session to facilitators.

After that, Dr. Mumita Tanjeela, Assistant Professor, Chairman, Department of Sociology gave a guest speech. While addressing gender equality she demanded meaningful resources for women like technology access, law, and rights, policy law which introduces gender equality.

The 2nd guest speech was given by Runu Akter, Youth Engagement Officer, VSO Bangladesh, started the session with some interaction to ice-breaking of participants to make them talk. She talks about the burning issue of public bus harassment which people get more active and become participatory because they were related to this. Then the audiences were asked if they had anything to say. Two of them had some say about this topic.

Audience 1: women who are leaving behind should get the priority and the only youth can make this sort of underprivileged women through awareness.

Audience 2: Awareness is consciousness because gender equality comes from the family and it should be taught from the family first. If this consciousness works, like you are not my son or daughter you are my child, a big change can start from the family. He also addressed that around 18 girls get raped every day because of people's morality problems. Even after making law and policy, implementation lacking’s making it worse while giving the safe space to the criminals.

The final guest of the workshop, Mahjabeen Iqbal, Country People & Operations Manager, VSO Bangladesh has briefly talked about youth engagement, VSO works and core approaches. And partnership which has been addressed by the EWU Sociology Department. She covered the areas on AYSRHR, Livelihoods & Inclusive Education which includes all Gender.

Two honorable EWU Sociology Club moderators and faculty members of the Sociology Department were also present there at the panel discussion. One of them was Sifat-E Sultana, Senior Lecturer, Department of Sociology and Rasel Hussain, Lecturer, Department of Sociology, stated a very valuable word that Women are not responsibilities but responsible.

All the guests of the department and participants gave positive feedback about this initiative. The workshop ended by receiving a thank you note from Joseph Mahtab.