SS Report
Dhaka, 13 December 2025:
European Union Ambassador and Head of Delegation to Bangladesh Michael Miller, on Friday, underscored the importance of women’s leadership and collective action during his visit to the outdoor photo exhibition “From Shadows to Leadership” at Justice Shahabuddin Ahmed Park in the capital.
Organised by Oxfam in Bangladesh, the three-day exhibition showcases powerful photographs and personal stories of women working in the country’s informal economy, highlighting their journeys from marginalisation to leadership. Ambassador Miller toured the exhibition alongside representatives of development partners, civil society organisations, NGOs and other stakeholders.
Speaking at the event, Miller said the exhibition demonstrated how storytelling and civic engagement can strengthen democratic spaces by bringing women’s voices into the public domain. He noted that the photographs represented more than visual narratives, describing them as evidence of how advocacy, skills development, leadership training and strong civil society partnerships can transform the lives of women working in often invisible and insecure sectors.
The exhibition features ten stories of women from diverse informal occupations, including domestic workers, tea garden labourers, home-based garment workers and members of the Manta fishing community. Captured across rivers, tea estates, coastal areas and urban settlements, the images document women organising collectively, negotiating wages, securing identification documents and engaging with policy processes to claim their rights.
Panna, a domestic worker from Narayanganj featured in the exhibition, said the experience had been life-changing, enabling her and others to understand their entitlements and speak confidently with employers and communities.
Oxfam Bangladesh Country Director Ashish Damle emphasised that the exhibition reflected empowerment and hope, while BNSK Executive Director Sumaiya Islam highlighted the strength of worker-led collective action.
The exhibition is part of the EU-funded Empowering Women through Civil Society Actors (EWCSA) project, implemented by Oxfam Bangladesh with 33 partner organisations across 19 districts, supporting more than 45,000 women in vulnerable labour sectors.
Source: OXFAM
