Experts Call for Inclusive AI Policy to Safeguard Women and Children
Stakeholders have opined that, alongside ensuring the safety of women and children, the national Artificial Intelligence (AI) policy should guarantee their inclusion in the economy, promote women’s participation in STEM education and infrastructure development, and adopt integrated initiatives in the final policy framework.
These views were expressed at a seminar on women and child protection and the AI policy held on Thursday, February 26, at the Bishwo Shahitto Kendro in the capital. Speakers called for the inclusion of the Department of Women Affairs and the Ministry of Law in the policymaking process, rather than leaving it solely to the ICT Division.
The seminar was moderated by Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Priya Ahsan Chowdhury. In her welcome address, she emphasized the necessity of policy safeguards and an effective legal framework to ensure the safety of women and children amid the rapid expansion of AI technologies.
Joining the seminar online, UK-based AI governance expert Calvin Duff highlighted various aspects of the proposed “National AI Policy 2026–2030.” He noted that nearly four million workers in Bangladesh’s garment sector—most of whom are women—are at risk of losing their jobs due to AI automation. He also cautioned that if healthcare or legal AI systems are broadly classified as “high-risk,” it could delay essential services in rural areas where there is already a shortage of physicians.
Calvin Duff further stated, “The Cyber Security Ordinance and the Personal Data Protection Ordinance (PDPO) are already capable of addressing crimes such as sextortion or blackmail. Therefore, effective enforcement of existing laws may be more beneficial for protecting women and children than introducing new complex legislation.” He proposed that human involvement in every AI decision should not be mandatory but rather framed as a user ‘right’ or ‘opt-in’ option.
In the same session, AI governance and technology law specialist lawyer Christabel Randolph underscored the need for coordinated implementation of technology, law, and policy. Dr. Salwa Haque, Fellow of the Information Society Project at Yale Law School, stressed the importance of research and policy initiatives to prevent technology-facilitated gender-based violence.
During the open discussion segment, participants exchanged views on the risks associated with AI usage, prevention of cyber violence, and measures to protect women and children. Among the speakers were Engineer Syed Zahid Hossain, Adviser to the Cyber Crime Awareness Foundation (CCAF); Dipti Shikdar, Director of Legal Advocacy and Lobby at the Bangladesh National Women Lawyers’ Association (BNWLA); Ferdousi Akhter, member of Naripokkho; and researcher Naziba Bashar, among others.
In her closing remarks, Monisha Biswas, Legal Specialist at BLAST and Focal Person of the “Cyber Support for Women and Children (CSWC) Platform,” called for coordinated initiatives to strengthen cyber security for women and children.
The organizers expressed hope that such discussions would contribute to raising awareness in the formulation and implementation of the AI policy and support effective measures to ensure the protection of women and children.
DBTech/SA/MUM/OR
