Ireen Sultana

One morning, travelling by boat from Dakatiya River toward the Meghna in Chandpur, I saw women on the bank washing dishes with busy hands. Another morning, travelling from the Buriganga toward the Turag in Dhaka, I saw the same daily ritual of women at work. In Ranishankail I watched a woman washing bamboo slats upside down in the Kulik River. In Khulna I saw women around the Kazibacha and Rupsha rivers struggling hard after Cyclone Aila to make their families and villages self-reliant. During floods I have read newspaper reports about women wading, floating, holding chickens and ducks in their arms while trying to reach dry shelters. Time and again, women carrying children on their chests while crossing waist-deep water are photographed.

In 2003, the sinking of the MV Nasrin-1 at the mouth of the Meghna and Dakatiya — in which 800 people died — still leaves a deep wound among the people of Bhola. In that worst-ever launch disaster in the country’s history, at least 110 women were among the dead. Some were housewives, some domestic workers, some children and elderly. In the 23 May 2004 Meghna launch disaster, Shuman Shams — founder of the anchor (Nongor) organisation — lost his mother.

Some southern women make a living by collecting spawn and juvenile fish from the rivers. Many women earn money by fishing. After Aila the coastal areas became saline; this salty water is harming women’s clothes and causing skin diseases, increased miscarriages, and infections of sensitive organs. Women are forced to undergo hysterectomies due to illness or fall prey to middlemen. These problems affect women’s lives and household well-being.

Even in such adverse conditions, riverine women try to stand up again, working with the river and treating it as a partner. Women know the river intimately. Therefore, when government and non-government bodies plan river policies, it is appropriate to draft those policies giving priority to women. In riverine Bangladesh women are everywhere; on that basis I want to bring five initial policy proposals about rivers and women to public attention.

1. National Swimming Census for Women’s Safety and Proficiency

We carry out agricultural censuses and learn that the numbers of cows and goats have risen. That data is available on the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics website. Yet we do not know what percentage of the total population can swim. Therefore we cannot tell which age groups, professions, or regions have what level of swimming skill.

For this reason the government should take the initiative to conduct an annual national swimming census. Online registration of swim-proficient citizens can be opened at division, district, and upazila levels. If linked with the national ID system, such a database would be richer. Swimming in a pool and swimming in a river require different physical and mental skills. Experts should define levels of swimming proficiency and their definitions.

The country has very few divers. Alongside increasing the number of divers, women should be trained for diving professions and provided with employment. From neighboring countries to England, women like Aarti Saha and Afrin Jabeen crossed the English Channel. After Brojen Das, Bangladesh needs a woman swimmer who crosses the English Channel.

2. National Policy for the Safe Mobility of Pregnant Women on Waterways

There are international rules for pregnant women travelling by plane. For example, airlines and organizations such as Bangladesh Biman, Turkish Airlines, and the UK National Health Service give guidance about which stages of pregnancy are safe for air travel; they also recommend getting a doctor’s advice and travel insurance. But for water transport, there are no specific safety precautions for pregnant women in Bangladesh.

For awareness and safety, a clear policy should be formulated, promoted, and implemented for pregnant women travelling by boat, tourist launches, launches, and ships. Primary medical care for pregnant women should be mandatory on any water vessel. BIWTA can routinely audit vessels to ensure proper implementation of this policy.

3. Freedom to Swim: A Menstrual Cup Policy for Women

Sanitary pads get wet in rain and cannot be used when entering the river. Each month women must tolerate five to seven days of this discomfort. Worldwide, modern and environmentally conscious women are switching to menstrual cups. Considering the risk of accidents on water, menstrual cups are a prudent precaution. With swimming training and diving professions, women who use menstrual cups can work comfortably.

4. Menstrual Health and Dignity Policy for Riverine Women

In flood relief, government and NGOs typically distribute dry food and medicine. Alongside these, sanitary pads should be provided as a matter of policy. Maintaining hygiene with sanitary pads in shelters is not easy; menstrual cups would reduce many difficulties.

Using menstrual cups could protect southern women from uterine infections. Women who wash blood-soaked cloth in saline water in villages would have better reproductive health with menstrual cups. Government and non-government initiatives should promote menstrual cup training and awareness; a formal policy is needed for that.

5. Legislation to Safeguard the Livelihoods of Riverine Women

As rivers are occupied and polluted and biodiversity and fish resources decline, women’s lives and livelihoods are being harmed. Despite challenges such as river erosion, floods, and siltation, women continue to take part in agriculture in those areas. Women are planting vegetables, weeding, and clearing nurseries. By training female farmers, floating agriculture can be expanded in erosion-prone areas.

The problem is that research on the role of rivers in the livelihoods of women living in river areas is lacking. Do existing river conservation laws consider the livelihood aspects of riverine women? What are the main obstacles to women’s river-dependent livelihoods? If we answer these questions, another important need for river conservation and restoration will become clear: securing the livelihoods of riverine women. That is why government initiatives, policies, and laws to protect riverine women’s livelihoods are now urgent.

A cautionary note: to achieve success in adopting and implementing each policy, surveys, research, statistics, and documentary evidence are essential. Ongoing research is necessary; without it, it will not be possible to preserve the specific relationships between different rivers and the women who depend on them.

[Ireen Sultana is a writer, journalist, and researcher, formerly in the IT profession.]