No more ‘sir’ for women officials in Bangladesh

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s caretaker government has overturned a long-standing protocol requiring women officials to be addressed as “sir,” calling it an “odd” relic of ousted leader Sheikh Hasina’s regime.

The interim administration, headed by Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, took office last year after former prime minister Hasina was overthrown by a student-led uprising, forcing her to flee to neighbouring India.

A statement issued by the press wing of the caretaker government late Thursday said the directive mandating the use of “sir” for women in official roles had been “annulled”.

“During Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 16-year-long autocratic rule, a directive was reportedly issued requiring public officials to address her as ‘sir’,” it said.

“This practice extended to other high-ranking women officials, who were -- and still are -- being called ‘sir,’ which is clearly odd.”

A new committee has been formed to revise other protocol-related directives, the statement added.

A woman bureaucrat said that the caretaker government took the call without consulting women officials.

“The tradition began during Sheikh Hasina’s tenure, but many women officers supported it, finding the address gender-neutral,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Hasina, 77, who has defied orders to return to Dhaka, faces several charges at Bangladesh’s International Crimes Tribunal for alleged crimes committed during a crackdown on the protests that led to her toppling.

Up to 1,400 people were killed between July and August 2024, according to the United Nations. Prosecutors say that Hasina held overall command responsibility for the violence.