Women also accoun­t for some 80 per cent of four millio­n worker­s in the countr­y's 4,500 textil­e plants­DHAKA: A Muslim cleric accused of issuing a fatwa banning women from working on farms has been arrested in Bangladesh, police said Wednesday. The imam and five mosque officials face charges after their announcement prompted locals in the western town of Kumarkhali to try and prevent women from going to work in the fields. “They took the decision after prayers on Friday, banning women from going out of their homes,” local police chief Abdul Khaleque said. Women were once largely confined to the home in rural Bangladesh, but a labour shortage has meant millions now work in the fields during harvest or crop sowing season. Women also account for some 80 per cent of four million workers in the country’s 4,500 textile plants — the mainstay of the impoverished nation’s economy.

Source: The Express Tribune December 13, 2017 10:07 UTC