In this edition of Hello Washington the topic of discussion was International Women’s Day: State of the World’s Women. Our panelists were Dr. Paula Banerjee, Sharmin Ahmed and Dr. Faustina Pereira.
Dr. Paula Banerjee, Professor, Department of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Calcutta specializes in diplomatic history and has worked on American foreign policy in South Asia at the University of Cincinnati where she was the recipient of the prestigious Taft Fellowship. She has also worked extensively on women’s interventions for peace in South Asia both as a researcher and an activist. She has co-authored a book on Women in Society and Politics of France.
Sharmin Ahmad, a recipient of the Woman of Distinction award and co-founder and director of a think tank The Minaret of Freedom Institute, has organized and led numerous workshops on human rights and interfaith bridge building. She is a writer and a women’s rights activist. Her book 'Rainbow in a Heart' is part of the curriculum in Maryland's Montgomery County.
Dr. Faustina Pereira is a lawyer from Bangladesh and a member of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. She is one of the directors of a human rights organization in Bangladesh Ain-o-Shalish Kendra. Dr. Pereira earned her Ph.D. in International Human Rights Law from University of Notre Dame Law School, Indiana.
Callers asked many questions on women’s rights and issues and why governments are not carrying out their responsibilities of protecting women and their rights.
