Recognising equal guardianship of the mother as of the father, emphasising the best interests of the child, and amending the Guardianship and Wardship Act, 1890 to grant the mother automatic guardianship rights, especially when the father is absent, incompetent or unwilling.

Year
2025
Reform Domain
Women Women
Sub Domain
Family law and individual rights
Source of Reform Proposals
Women's Reform Commission Report
Reform Proposed
Reform Proposed
Reform Initiated
Reform Initiated
Legal and Policy Framework
Legal and Policy Framework
Operationalisation
Operationalisation
Action Implementation
Action Implementation
Stage of Implementation
Reform Proposed
Reform Proposed
Last Update: 29-Jul-26
The reform proposal is articulated in the Women-affairs related reform commission report and has been officially initiated.
Reform Initiated
Reform Initiated
Last Update: 29-Jul-26
This reform proposal has not been fully officially initiated. However, the preparation of guidelines had been initiated during the tenure of Interim government.
Observation
    During the tenure of the Interim Government, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs organised a workshop on amending section 19(b) of the proposed Guardians and Wards Ordinance (Amendment), 2025. The workshop was announced through memorandum no. 32.00.0000.039.04.007.24.132, dated 27 October 2025, and was held on 30 October 2025 at the Bangladesh Shishu Academy. However, no summary of the workshop or details of the subsequent steps are publicly available.
Resources
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Reform Proposed
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Reform Initiated
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Glossary

Last Updated: 14th December 2025

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