Parliament claims to be the most representative branch of a state and marks itself as a safety valve against democratic failure and authoritarian take over.

Increasing Access to Justice in Bangladesh Program of National Center for State Courts (NCSC) and Department of Law, East West University (EWU) jointly organised a learning session titled “Understanding of Legal Aid Services Act, 2000: Representation Needs of Indigent People” on October 31, 2020 to generate awareness and knowledge among the law students about legal aid services. The session was supported by U.S. Department of State.

In the past fourteen years (2006-2019), close to 1,200 journalists have been killed for reporting news and bringing information to the public.

The Institute of Public Health, a national institute under the Director General of Health Services (DGHS), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, issued a notice signed by its Director on October 29.

The proposed ‘Bangladesh Land Act 2020’ has stirred a good many quarters of thinkers. However, what has not come to much focus is the issue of land rights of the indigenous people.

In the context of increasing numbers of rape, on many occasions, the so-called ‘cross-fire’ and death penalty tend to come up as two apparently viable options for addressing the offence of rape.However, a demand for both of the above, masks the real problem underlying the crisis and have their own shares of problems.

Barrister Rafique-ul Huq, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh, breathed his last on October 24 leaving behind an ineffaceable legacy in the legal arena of Bangladesh. There is hardly any single areas of law that was not enriched by the unparalleled acumen of his scholarly legal mind.

The United Nations has initiated various international guidelines for the well-being, dignity, development and realisation of human rights of older persons. Consequently, many developed and developing countries have paid attention to develop elderly social support programme and welfare based legal framework in line with UN standards.

Bangladesh International Arbitration Centre (BIAC), for the first time in the history of Bangladesh, organised an Inter University Arbitration Contest from September to October 2020.

Unlike its domestic analogy, International Criminal Law (ICL) has refuted the principle of ‘non-retrospectivity’, establishing the trial-based justice for the jus cogens crimes (genocide, war crime, crime against humanity etc).

The mistaken belief of patriarchal masculinity and the subjugation of women with the want of treating them as an object have spurred the number of rape cases in Bangladesh over the years. This article focuses on the significance of death penalty in rape cases and few other reforms that should be considered in the rape laws in Bangladesh for effective access to justice.

LD: What, in your opinion, are the reasons of the recent surge in incidence of rape?

South Asian Lawyers’ Forum (SALF) organised a webinar on ‘Access to Justice during Covid’9: Asian Perspective’ on 17 October 2020. Mr. Abdullah Al Noman, Advocate, Bangladesh Supreme Court delivered the keynote address.

A new report from UNICEF calls for accelerated action to end child marriage in Bangladesh by 2030. Despite significant progress in recent years, Bangladesh has the highest prevalence of child marriage in South Asia and ranks among 10 countries in the world with the highest levels.

Rape is one of the most heinous crimes that can happen in a society. In ensuring justice for rape victims, an unbroken chain of medical evidence plays a significant role.

Law Desk (LD): What would be your general observations on the increasing number of rape and its relation with the culture of impunity?

Fishing is one of the major livelihoods of the coastal populace of Bangladesh. To garner potentials of blue economy prospects, it is critical for Bangladesh to spearhead the fight against illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing.

I have been working in an organisation as a senior executive. I have formally resigned from my employment after 4 years of my service and my resignation got accepted by the organisation on the next day.

Air pollution is the single greatest environmental risk to human health and one of the main avoidable causes of death and disease globally, with some estimated 6.5 million premature deaths (2016) across the world attributed to indoor and outdoor air pollution.

Currently in Bangladesh, rape, as one of the most pervasive and gruesome violations of human rights, is alarmingly on the rise. Despite the existence of specific social and judicial framework for addressing the crime, in most cases the perpetrators get away with sexual pillage.