Rebecca Momin (15 May 1947 – 11 July 2023) was a

Bangladesh Awami League Bangladesh (}, ), officially the People's Republic of Bangladesh, is a country in South Asia. It is the eighth-most populous country in the world, with a population exceeding 165 million people in an area of . Bangladesh is among the mos ...

politician and

Jatiya Sangsad The Jatiya Sangsad ( bn, জাতীয় সংসদ, lit=National Parliament, translit=Jatiyô Sôngsôd), often referred to simply as the ''Sangsad'' or JS and also known as the House of the Nation, is the supreme legislative body of ...

member representing the

Netrokona-4 Netrokona-4 is a constituency represented in the Jatiya Sangsad (National Parliament) of Bangladesh since 2008 by Rebecca Momin of the Awami League. Boundaries The constituency encompasses Khaliajuri, Madan, and Mohanganj upazilas. History ...

constituency for three terms from 2009 until her death in 2023.

Life and career

Momin was born on 15 May 1947, in

Mohanganj Mohanganj ( bn, মোহনগঞ্জ) is an upazila of Netrokona District in the Mymensingh division of Bangladesh. It is one of the 10 upazilas of Netrakona district. Mohanganj is largely known as the capital of Lower Bangladesh as it is the ...

Netrokona Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোনা) is a major town and District headquarter in Netrokona District in the Mymensingh Division, division of Mymensingh. It is the largest town and urban centre of Netrokona District. References

{{Refl ...

, Bengal Province,

British India The provinces of India, earlier presidencies of British India and still earlier, presidency towns, were the administrative divisions of British governance on the Indian subcontinent. Collectively, they have been called British India. In one ...

. She was married to former Food Minister of Bangladesh

Abdul Momin Abdul Momin (; ; 1788 – 29 May 1885) was the 24th Sultan of Brunei from 1852 until his death in 1885. Early life He was the son of Pengiran Shahbandar Pengiran Anak Abdul Wahab and grandson of Sultan Omar Ali Saifuddin I. He was also the brot ...

. Momin was elected to parliament in the January 2009 Bangladesh general elections as a candidate of the

from Netrokona-4 in

Netrokona District Netrokona ( bn, নেত্রকোণা) is a district of the Mymensingh Division in northern Bangladesh. Etymology The headquarters of Netrokona District was located at the end of the Mogra River and was called Natorkona. Many people believe ...

. Momin was re-elected to parliament in the January 2014 Bangladesh general elections as a candidate of the same party. She was one of 17 women elected to parliament that year. Momin was the chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the

Ministry of Women and Children Affairs The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs ( bn, মহিলা ও শিশু বিষয়ক মন্ত্রণালয়; ''Mahilā ō śiśu biṣaẏaka mantraṇālaẏa'') is the government ministry of Bangladesh responsible for ...

. She controversially defended the government law lowering of the marriage age in Bangladesh from 18 to 16. She stated that in certain cases of teen pregnancy the girl can be married to prevent social stigma, while her opponents had argued that less than two percent of young girls marry due to unplanned pregnancy. She had said that she personally did not support the lowering of the marriage age but could not do anything, as the Prime Minister is also in charge of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs. She faced criticism in December 2014 after stating that the reason for the increase in incidents of rape in Bangladesh was due to women's clothes and their ability to travel outside their homes.

Death

Momin died on 11 July 2023, at the age of 76.

References

1947 births 2023 deaths People from Netrokona District Politicians from Mymensingh Division Awami League politicians 9th Jatiya Sangsad members 10th Jatiya Sangsad members 11th Jatiya Sangsad members Women members of the Jatiya Sangsad 21st-century Bangladeshi women politicians {{AwamiLeague-politician-stub