Women in the Bangladesh Armed Forces explained

Women have been associated with the Bangladesh Army since the Liberation War of Bangladesh in 1971.[1]

In the 1971 War, a Bengali female doctor from the Pakistan Army's medical corps participated, she was Sitara Begum who was commissioned into the Pakistan Army Medical Corps as a lieutenant in 1970. She took part in the 1971 war as the commanding officer of a field hospital, the Bangladesh Field Hospital; she was awarded the Bir Protik medal for her contribution.[2]

Since the early part of the 2000s decade, women are being commissioned in various corps of the Bangladesh Army like men though women can't become officers in the infantry regiment and in the armored corps.[3] [4] [5] Zannatul Ferdous became the first female paratrooper in 2013 who was commissioned on 24 December, 2009 from the Bangladesh Military Academy's 59th long course.[6] [7] In 2019, four female officers were made lieutenant colonels and were appointed commanding officers of units, they were Sanjida Hossain, Syeda Nazia Raihan and Farhana Afreen of the artillery regiment and Sarah Amir of the engineers corps.[8] [9] [10]

Nazma Begum of the Bangladesh Army Medical Corps was the first female contingent commander in United Nations peacekeeping, she went to UNOCI in 2016 with a 56-member contingent; as a lieutenant colonel she was the first female commanding officer of a field ambulance of the Bangladesh Army.[11] [12] Another noted woman from the medical corps Susane Giti was the first woman in the history of the Bangladesh Army who was promoted to major general in 2018.[13] [14]

The first batch of female ordinary soldiers of the Bangladesh Army completed their recruit training on 29 January 2015 in Ghatail Cantonment which is situated in the Tangail district.[15] [16] [17] This was the first time in the history of the Bangladesh Army that women were recruited as ordinary troops, in the batch a total number of 879 women were enlisted as ordinary soldiers into the army's medical corps.[18] In the same year, the army got first female pilots, two women named Nazia Nusrat Hossain and Shahrina Binte Anwar became pilots; Nazia was commissioned in the corps of engineers and Shahrina was commissioned in the corps of ordnance, both were commissioned in December 2009, both of them completed their first solo flying training successfully in June, 2015.[19] [20] [21]

In 2022, a wheelchair-bound female officer named Kaniz Fatema was promoted to Major.[22]

Since September 2024, women in the Bangladesh army have been allowed to wear the hijab head covering to express their Muslim faith.[23]

Bangladesh Navy

The Bangladesh Navy got women sailors for the first time in its history on 30 May 2016. 44 women were enlisted as sailors on that day in BNS Titumir, Khulna, besides 727 male sailors completed their basic naval training on the same day.[24]

Bangladesh Air Force

On 25 November 2020, at the Bangladesh Air Force's 'Recruits Training School' (RTS) which is situated in Shamshernagar the passing out parade of the 48th Airmen Entry was held, in this passing out parade a total number of 752 recruits passed out and among them 64 were females, this was the first in the history of the Bangladesh Air Force that women were recruited as airmen.[25]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The women in our Liberation War. The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Aasha Mehreen Amin, Lavina Ambreen Ahmed & Shamim Ahsan. 16 December 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20230404021508/https://www.thedailystar.net/supplements/victory-day-2016-special/the-women-our-liberation-war-1330396. 4 April 2023.
  2. Web site: 50 years later, the fight goes on. The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Mayabee Arannya, Tasnim Odrika. 8 March 2021. https://web.archive.org/web/20210308111925/https://www.thedailystar.net/in-focus/news/50-years-later-the-fight-goes-2056797. 8 March 2021.
  3. Web site: Bangladesh army recruits women. United Press International. Inam Ahmed. 8 July 2000.
  4. Web site: Beacons of success: The life and challenges of female army officers. Dhaka Tribune. Afrose Jahan Chaity. 8 March 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20230804113658/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/170680/beacons-of-success-the-life-and-challenges-of. 4 August 2023.
  5. News: The woman keeping pace with men in the Bangladesh army. BBC News Online. 16 April 2012. https://web.archive.org/web/20210710064149/https://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-asia-17708147. 10 July 2021.
  6. Web site: Ferdous first female paratrooper. Bdnews24.com. 7 February 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20130209212328/https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2013/02/07/ferdous-first-female-paratrooper. 9 February 2013.
  7. Web site: Capt Zannatul first female paratrooper in country. 8 February 2013. The Daily Star (Bangladesh). https://web.archive.org/web/20230201103851/https://www.thedailystar.net/news-detail-268304. 1 February 2023.
  8. Web site: Four women promoted to Lt Col. Bangla Tribune. 24 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20230306155803/https://en.banglatribune.com/national/news/26849/Four-women-promoted-to-Lt-Col. 6 March 2023.
  9. Web site: Bangladesh Army appoints four female officers as battalion chiefs. Bdnews24.com. 25 January 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20230216053906/https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-army-appoints-four-female-officers-as-battalion-chiefs. 16 February 2023.
  10. Web site: Four female Bangladesh Army officers made COs. Dhaka Tribune. 24 January 2019.
  11. Web site: First female officer leads contingent. The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 29 February 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160229112211/https://www.thedailystar.net/frontpage/first-female-officer-leads-contingent-783856. 29 February 2016.
  12. Web site: Army medical core gets first woman brigadier. Prothom Alo. 8 October 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20201027185122/https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/army-medical-core-gets-first-woman-brigadier. 27 October 2020.
  13. News: Susane Giti becomes first female major general. The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 1 October 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181008014134/https://www.thedailystar.net/country/susane-giti-first-female-bangladesh-army-major-general-1640794. 8 October 2018.
  14. Web site: Bangladesh Army gets its first female Major General. Bangla Tribune. 30 September 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20181003124419/https://en.banglatribune.com/national/news/14727/Bangladesh-Army-gets-its-first-female-Major. 3 October 2018.
  15. Web site: Serve people with professionalism; PM asks female military paramedics. The Daily Star (Bangladesh). Unb, Tangail. 30 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20150629234953/https://www.thedailystar.net/serve-people-with-professionalism-62387. 29 June 2015.
  16. News: 29 January 2015. Women now country's proud soldiers: PM. Banglanews24.com. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709184307/https://www.banglanews24.com/english/national/news/bd/35266.details. 9 July 2021.
  17. News: Women going ahead in challenging professions: PM. Risingbd.com. 29 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20210709185351/https://www.risingbd.com/english/national/news/21910. 9 July 2021.
  18. Web site: Women troops on the march. The Daily Observer (Bangladesh). 30 January 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20230201104543/https://www.observerbd.com/2015/01/30/69570.php. 1 February 2023.
  19. Web site: Army gets first female pilots. 28 October 2015. Prothom Alo. https://web.archive.org/web/20230201105401/https://en.prothomalo.com/bangladesh/Army-gets-first-female-pilots. 1 February 2023.
  20. Web site: Women pilots of Bangladesh Army 'herald new era' by operating first flights. Bdnews24.com. 28 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20240304035506/https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/women-pilots-of-bangladesh-army-herald-new-era-by-operating-first-flights. 4 March 2024.
  21. Web site: Nazia, Shahrina become first ever female pilots in army. Dhaka Tribune. 28 October 2015. https://web.archive.org/web/20240303121436/https://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/bangladesh-others/112452/nazia-shahrina-become-first-ever-female-pilots-in. 3 March 2024.
  22. Web site: Bangladesh Army promotes Kaniz Fatema, the wheelchair-bound officer, to major. Bdnews24.com. 4 June 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20240702100223/https://bdnews24.com/people/bangladesh-army-promotes-kaniz-fatema-the-wheelchair-bound-officer-to-major. 2 July 2024.
  23. Web site: Bangladesh Army's female troops allowed to wear hijab with uniform; The authorities also say a policy is being formulated for hijab-wearing. Bdnews24.com. 23 September 2024. https://web.archive.org/web/20240924034437/https://bdnews24.com/bangladesh/2c482c16b86d. 24 September 2024.
  24. Web site: Navy gets its first women sailors. The Daily Star (Bangladesh). 31 May 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160601123525/https://www.thedailystar.net/backpage/navy-gets-its-first-women-sailors-1232161. 1 June 2016.
  25. Web site: 64 female recruits participate in BAF's passing out parade for graduates. Dhaka Tribune. 25 November 2020.

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