Women’s Empowerment in Bangladesh: Preventing Violent Extremism and Building Peace

An Interview with Dr. Lailufar Yasmin, Professor, Department of International Relations University of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Transcript prepared by Ms. Kamaile Patton. Click here for a video of the interview.

In this interview, Dr. Lailufar Yasmin, a distinguished alumna of the DKI APCSS Advanced Security Cooperation course (ASC 19-2), talks to Dr. Saira Yamin about Bangladesh’s initiatives to empower women, particularly in countering violent extremism as a critical objective of its National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace, and Security (2019).  She shares her insights on the NAP formulation process as it seeks to build peace through preventative strategies.  Key players supporting this important effort have been especially cognizant of the influence women as mothers, wield at the household level. It empowers them by building their capacities and provides for measures to address structural barriers to gender equality. She also talks about her academic role in positively influencing younger generations.