Browse Category

Human Rights

The coal delusion of Bangladesh

Like most poor countries, Bangladesh needs a lot of energy to develop its economy, the cheaper the better. About 80 percent of its electricity now comes from natural gas. But with gas resources waning and an entrenched, inefficient subsidy system, the government has decided to promote coal instead. This shift comes with great risks: Coal power pollutes, and Bangladesh is at once the most densely populated country on earth and one of the most exposed to the effects of climate change. AP photoUnder its 20...

Bloomberg’s $10m gift targets Bangladesh drownings

Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's foundation is donating $10 million to a program aimed at preventing the drownings of Bangladeshi children who may be improperly supervised while their parents are at work. [caption id="attachment_4570" align="alignleft" width="300"]drwaning Workers assemble playpens at a factory in northern Bangladesh as part as part of a Bloomberg Philanthropies drowning-prevention program. Bloomberg Philanthropies[/caption] Bloomberg Philanthropies, the charity of the billionaire businessman and former mayor, is partne...

US concern over human rights situation in Bangladesh

Extrajudicial killings, arbitrary arrests, regulation of online speech, and poor working conditions and labour rights blemished human rights in Bangladesh last year, a US report says.
Released on Thursday, the US government report also identified weak judicial capacity, and lengthy pre-trial detentions as human rights problems Bangladesh faced in 2013. kerryIt said “the government neither released statistics on total killings by security personnel nor took comprehensive measures to investigate cases”. This, despite, the high-ranking government offic...

Transforming life in the slums

Shabdi D’Costa was in her forties, barely surviving with her three daughters on her husband’s Tk 1,800 (US $22) salary, when she decided to find a way out of poverty by taking charge of the family finances. “We barely had enough money to feed and clothe ourselves,” said Shabdi. “I needed to learn to manage our money so that we could plan for our rainy days.” BD SlumThis was four years ago. Her husband was an assistant at a textile factory in Narayanganj – an industrial town on the outskirts of the...

Rights group urges ICC to investigate Bangladesh

An Islamic rights group is urging the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands, to investigate the government of Bangladesh for alleged crimes against humanity in persecuting its political foes. British lawyer Toby Cadman said he filed the request on behalf of the International Coalition for Freedoms of Rights a month after Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s party won elections marred by violence and a boycott by the main opposition party. International Criminal Court prosecutor Fatou Bensouda will decide whether to launch an investigation after studying the application. ICC

Concern over extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh

Activists in Bangladesh have called for an investigation into a recent spate of killings described by many as ‘extrajudicial’. Activists claim most of those who died were affiliated to the opposition. “Extrajudicial killings have been taking place for a long time in the country and it’s getting worse each day,” C R Abrar, president of Odhikar, a human rights group, alleged. “There should be an independent and credible inquiry into the incidents.” Following the disputed general election on 5 January, in which the ruling Awami League retained power, activists claim the number of such killings has risen.
Verified by MonsterInsights