Women and children
pHOTO: Amirul Rajiv
Parliament is the highest law making body in the country, but subject to the provisions of the constitution. The continued primacy of personal laws in matters of marriage, divorce, maintenance and child custody and adoption discriminates against women in respect of rights within the family. Citizenship laws also discriminate on their face against women. De facto discrimination in opportunities for education and employment as well as access to resources and to services, in particular healthcare, further imposes various barriers on women in exercising their rights. Women face discrimination both in public and private spheres. Violence continues to be a significant feature of the everyday experience of many Bangladeshi women. The actual figures for sexual assault, rape and domestic violence are undoubtedly high, not least because a widespread culture of intimidation inhibits reporting. Moreover, in cases involving the transgression of 'sexual honour,' the fear of social stigmatisation discourages making such incidents public. Numerous challenges remain in ensuring the rights of children. One of the most serious is the pervasiveness of child labour. Under applicable laws the age bar for prohibition of child labour varies from 14 to 18 years and is not effectively enforced. In practice, one in every eight children in the country is a working child. Nearly one-fifth of children from slum and tribal areas are engaged as child labour to earn a livelihood for themselves and their families.
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