Ministry of Women and Children Affairs

ministry · verified (verified 2026-05-17)

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Head: Prof. Dr. A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain
Role: Minister
Annual budget: ৳50,780,000,000
Staff: —
Established: 1978
Legal basis: Originally established as Ministry of Women Affairs in 1978; Women Affairs Directorate formed 1984, upgraded to Department of Women Affairs 1990; renamed Ministry of Women and Children Affairs in 1994 incorporating Children Affairs; Bengali name changed from Mahila O Shishu Bishoyok Montronaloy to Nari O Shishu Bishoyok Montronaloy in December 2025.

Ministry under new BNP minister Dr. AZM Zahid Hossain (since 17 Feb 2026) is pursuing three parallel tracks: zero-tolerance enforcement of VAW laws amid a documented rise in violence cases (312 cases in April 2026 alone), child marriage prevention through MOWCA-UNICEF Accelerating Protection for Children project, and social protection expansion via the Universal Family Card and maternity/lactating mother allowance programmes.

Recent activity

2026-02-17 appointment Prof. Dr. A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain (BNP, Dinajpur-6 MP, former personal physician to Khaleda Zia) sworn in as Minister for Women and Children Affairs and Social Welfare in the Tarique Rahman-led BNP cabinet. ↗↗↗
2026-03-08 statement Minister Zahid Hossain attended International Women's Day programme at the National Photo Gallery auditorium as chief guest, pledging BNP's commitment to women's empowerment, economic self-reliance, and recognition; ministry celebrated the day under the theme 'Rights, Equality, Empowerment: Development for Women and Girls'. ↗↗↗
2026-03-29 policy Prime Minister Tarique Rahman launched the Universal Family Card programme in Dhaka's first phase (37,814 cards), primarily targeting women-led households; MoWCA identified as key implementation partner for the social protection outreach. ↗↗
2026-04-06 policy Minister Zahid Hossain declared government's zero-tolerance policy on all forms of violence against women and children at a Plan International Bangladesh event titled 'Equality and Justice in the Changing Landscape of Bangladesh', committing to full enforcement of existing VAW laws. ↗↗
2026-04-01 reform Minister pledged to develop children as national assets rather than burdens, committing to expand child development infrastructure to district and upazila levels; government reaffirmed commitment to child-friendly Bangladesh agenda. ↗↗↗
2026-04-30 international Swedish Ambassador met Minister Zahid Hossain to discuss social welfare and gender issues, signalling continued bilateral engagement on women's rights programming and social protection. ↗
2026-05-11 statement Minister Zahid Hossain, speaking at a Mother's Day event, stated 'Mother is child's first shelter, first teacher, lifelong guide', reiterating ministry's focus on maternal welfare under the Maternity Allowance Programme serving 7.70 lakh poor mothers. ↗

Provenance & notes

Minister appointment date 2026-02-17 confirmed by TBS, Daily Star, and Wikipedia (A.Z.M. Zahid Hossain article). Budget figure Tk 5,078 crore for FY2025-26 cross-checked across New Age BD and Daily Star budget coverage; prior year Tk 5,222 crore confirmed by same sources. Ministry originally founded as Women Affairs Ministry in 1978 (not 1971); renamed to include Children Affairs in 1994 -- per Wikipedia and mowca.gov.bd About page. Bengali name changed December 2025 from Mahila to Nari per Wikipedia. Maternity allowance beneficiary figures (7.70 lakh mothers, 2.75 lakh lactating mothers, 63 daycare centres) sourced from MoWCA presentation (March 2023 PDF) and ILO-SPC maternity protection study (September 2025); the Tk 800/month rate and 36-month duration are from MoF budget grant documents. Staff count not disclosed in available primary sources -- field left null. Annual budget converted: Tk 5,078 crore = Tk 50,780,000,000 BDT (1 crore = 10,000,000). Violence statistics for April 2026 (312 cases) from ISHR Bangladesh brief April 2026.

Ministry of Women and Children Affairs

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