HC asks why paternity leave should not be introduced
The High Court has issued a rule asking why directives should not be given to form a paternity leave policy for employees in all public and private institutions in the country.
The High Court bench of Justice Naima Haider and Justice Kazi Zeenat Haque issued this ruling on Tuesday (July 9) after hearing a writ. Recently six-month-old baby Nubaid bin Sadi and his mother filed the writ in the High Court by Supreme Court lawyer Ishrat Hasan.
Israt Hasan, the petitioner's lawyer, heard in the court on behalf of the writ. On the other hand, Deputy Attorney General Amit Dasgupta and Assistant Attorney General Taufiq Sajwar Partho were on the side of the state.
The Cabinet Secretary, Secretary of Ministry of Public Administration and Secretary of Law Ministry have been asked to respond to this rule. Along with this, it has been asked to give a progress report on making the policy within the next 3 months.
The writ also revealed the perception that only mother's role in newborn care has changed. Father's role is also increasing day by day. Especially in a busy city like Dhaka. Also, the rate of cesarean birth is very high in the country. It takes time for the mother to recover after the operation. During this time, the newborn and the mother need intensive care. With no paternity leave available, new fathers find it extremely difficult to care for their wives and newborns. More than 78 countries of the world, including neighboring countries India, Bhutan, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, have provisions for paternity leave.
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