Around 43.5 percent of female Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) faced obstacles from influential people, local politicians, law enforcing agencies, upazilla chairmen and district administrations while trying to take steps against corruption, revealed a study of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).
Even, when female UNOs drove against corruption, 45.5 percent of them were put under pressure through false allegations, said the report.
Around 48.5 percent of obstacles came from influential people and local politicians, added the report titled “Role of Women Upazila Nirbahi Officers (UNO) in Establishing Good Governance at the Local Level: Challenges and Way Forward”.
Findings of the research, conducted from June 2020 to March this year, were published in a virtual press conference on Thursday.
Forty-five UNOs participated in the research while there was 149 female UNOs in 485 upazilas during the study period.
The study found that 21.7% of female UNOs faced challenges while performing their duties. Most of the challenges came from upazilla chairmen, local journalists, local MPs, law enforcing agencies, politicians, DC, ADC and the local populace.
Around 34.30% of female UNOs faced pressure to do irregularities for distributing the relief goods, 31.4% to justify the rationality of various expenditures and 28.6% to approve fake bills.
However, 89.1% of female UNOs took steps to prevent corruption.
The research also finds that 40.5% of female UNOs did not get cooperation from upazilla chairmen.
However, they also faced different types of unethical pressure and sexual harassment (5.7%) from upazila chairmen.
TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said, “Around one-third of the UNOs are women which is an example of women empowerment. But the challenges they face are tarnishing this achievement.”
The situation indicates that society and administration are still discriminatory to women, he said.
TIB also put forward a list of recommendations to develop the work environment of women UNOs.
