Dhaka: The International Women’s Day was observed in the country, as elsewhere across the globe, on Thursday with a call to help forge a better, inclusive and gender-equal world.

The theme of this year’s day was - Time is Now: Rural and urban activists transforming women’s lives’.

Different organisations organised various programmes, including rallies, discussions and cultural events, on the occasion.

The Jatiya Press Club honoured Syeeda Khanam, first female photojournalist of Bangladesh, and Tasmima Hossain, acting editor of the Daily Ittefaq, for their outstanding contributions to the field of journalism and media.

Several women organisations including Garment Sramik Oikya Forum and Biplobi Nari Forum, at a rally in front of the Jatiya Press Club demanded fixing working hours for women working as day-labourers and housemaids.

Meanwhile, the High Court granted bail to Monwara Begum, 45, who had been serving life imprisonment over a child abduction case, after 20 years, marking the day.

The court also directed the deputy commissioner and social services officer in Cox’s Bazar to rehabilitate the woman if she fails to find her relatives in her home town.