Religious fundamentalism and attacks on women… How the life of women in Bangladesh became difficult under Yunus’s rule.

Imagine, the voice of a young woman who was once full of hopes for revolution, is today trembling with despair and fear. “I am leaving this country. That’s it, no more,” she says on the phone as she walks through the streets of Dhaka. This was a US-returned Bangladeshi journalist who celebrated the fall of Sheikh Hasina from power in August 2024.

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Muhammad Yunus A new dawn was dreamed of under the leadership of. But 16 months later, that dream was shattered. Bangladesh, where women were once examples of the working world, is today shivering under the shadow of fundamentalism. Let us know how the journey of women from Haseena Raj to Yunus era became hell.

Hasina’s rule vs Yunus’ ‘new era’

According to the report published in Telegraph India Online, this young woman, who celebrated the fall of Hasina government in August 2024, is now raising questions on the increasing insecurity of women in Bangladesh. During Hasina’s 15-year dictatorial rule, every section of society was dominated by fear and dictatorship. Yunus’s interim rule had given hope that women and students would remain safe, but the last 16 months have shown that conditions for women have become much more dire.

Silently growing roots of fanaticism

But the picture kept changing with time. Pro-Pakistan thinking, growing influence of Jamaat-e-Islami and social control in the name of religious morality have now become everyday reality. By December 2025, the situation became such that women became afraid of wearing clothes of their choice. Before leaving the house, the family started thinking that a man should be with them.

Women holding high positions were targeted

Attacks on women increased during the period of Yunus government, but no action was taken against the culprits. Senior women politicians, teachers and professors were attacked, but there was no fear of law. This impunity further boosted the morale of the radicals.

Shrinking place of women in politics

Women’s frustration is not limited to just the social level; doors seem to be closed for them in politics too. Tasneem Zara and Tajnuwa Jabeen, who were leaders in the National Citizen Party (NCP) that emerged from the student movement, left the party. The reason is alliance with Jamaat-e-Islami. These leaders allege that the electoral process was deliberately completed late so that women could neither contest elections from the party nor as independent candidates. Even before this, many women leaders had separated from the party citing lack of justice and security.

Jamaat’s thinking and women’s future

Women’s rights activists say that all this was not unexpected. Many NCP leaders have been associated with the student wing of Jamaat. The statement of the Jamaat chief that women will work only for five hours if they come to power, highlights this thinking. In such a mentality, the idea of ​​equal rights for women is meaningless.

Women ahead in labor force, country becomes their enemy

Earlier, Bangladesh led the world in women’s labor force, with about 44% of women being economically active in 2023. Now the same country is in news due to violence against women, moral policing and public nuisance. Despite Yunus’ global fame and microcredit programs, his rule posed a threat to women.

Yunus’s legacy: the dark chapter of women

Today, the same women are feeling most insecure in the name of Yunus, who made women self-reliant through microcredit. The forces given free rein by his government pushed back women’s rights.

There were questions on the status of women during Hasina’s rule, but in the era of Yunus, fear and insecurity have become the new identity. This is not just the story of change of power, but the story of the question whether the future of Bangladesh will take women forward or leave them behind.