Bangladesh’s caretaker government has officially abolished the use of the term “sir” when addressing women in public office, describing the practice as a “bizarre” legacy of the former administration under ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The interim leadership, headed by Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, assumed control in 2024 following the ousting of Hasina in a student-led uprising, which ultimately forced her into exile in neighbouring India.
In a statement released late Thursday by the press unit of the transitional government, the administration announced that the directive mandating the use of “sir” for female officials had been rescinded.
“Under Sheikh Hasina’s nearly 16-year authoritarian regime, there were reports of an official directive requiring public officers to refer to her as ‘sir’,” the statement noted. “This practice extended to other senior female officials — a protocol clearly inappropriate and incongruous.”
The government further disclosed the formation of a special committee to review and amend other outdated administrative protocols.
A senior female bureaucrat, speaking anonymously to AFP, confirmed that the decision was taken without consulting women in public service. “While the practice originated under Hasina’s leadership, many female officers appreciated it as a gender-neutral term,” she said.
Meanwhile, Hasina, now aged 77, remains defiant in exile. She is currently facing multiple charges before the Bangladesh International Crimes Tribunal over alleged human rights violations during the violent suppression of anti-government protests in mid-2024.
According to the United Nations, approximately 1,400 individuals lost their lives between July and August 2024. Prosecutors maintain that Hasina bears command responsibility for the widespread violence.
