The benefits of oppression for the common man

As a proud Bangladeshi of the 21st century, I embrace the role of the oppressed. I credit my therapist for this—“Look at the silver lining,” she says, “focus on the positives”. So I do.
28 December 2017, 18:00 PM

“Punish him, punish him!”

"I was so happy when I saw the madam of the house, I told her I'd do whatever she asked of me,” described Moyna. “She took me to a room and asked me if I wanted to shower after my long flight from Bangladesh.” Moyna said yes.
23 November 2017, 18:00 PM

One year and counting…

Dizen Tudu wasn't always a calculative person. There was a time when he could work in the field under the sweltering heat all day and still have enough energy left in him to play with his three boys at home in the evening.
9 November 2017, 18:00 PM

How effective will the anti-discrimination law be?

The right to equality and the principle of non-discrimination is recognised by the constitution of Bangladesh. While article 27 of the constitution states that the people of Bangladesh are equal in the eyes of the law, article 28 forbids any discrimination on the basis of race, caste, religion, sex or place of birth.
19 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Leaving no one behind: “Hijra Lives in Bangladesh”

"When I was a volunteer for UNYSAB, a bunch of us were distributing sandals to rickshaw pullers who didn't have any. A group of hijras came along and took the sandals away, but a little while later, they returned and apologised for having done so. Assuming we were NGO workers, they said: 'Rickshaw pullers have parents, children, siblings, a family. We have nobody. Can't you do something for us too?'”
5 October 2017, 18:00 PM

Seizing the opportunity?

Three years ago, a Bangladeshi woman, let's call her Nila, petitioned the High Court asking for protection of her fundamental right to equality. She had been living in a violent marriage. But as a Hindu in Bangladesh, she has no right to divorce, and no exit route from continuing abuse.
28 September 2017, 18:00 PM

If Rohingyas were Hindu

A story by Reuters citing an Indian government spokesperson says that India is in talks with Bangladesh and Myanmar to deport 40,000 Rohingya Muslims, arguably one of the world's most persecuted ethnic groups.
17 August 2017, 18:00 PM

The never ending cycle

From January 2012 to June 2017, a total of 388 incidents of violence against domestic workers have taken place, and, of them, only 161 cases have been filed.
20 July 2017, 18:00 PM

The deaths could have been prevented

The boiler explosion in a garments factory in Gazipur last Monday once again highlighted the government's inability to monitor the 5000-odd authorised boilers across the country.
6 July 2017, 18:00 PM

Destruction of shops at Rath Mela and the ever-shrinking space for minorities

Last Saturday night, the 400-year-old Rath Mela in Dhamrai, a fair integral to the Hindu Rath Jatra Utsab and the biggest Rath Jatra festival of the country, was shut down by the police over what it called “security concerns”, the fair stalls forcibly dismantled, visibly destroyed, and their owners beaten up.
6 July 2017, 18:00 PM

“We will be soldiers in a battlefield”

In 2001 Hill Women's Federation published a compilation of Kalpana Chakma's diary entries, letters to her comrades, news articles about her abduction and fact-finding reports by groups about the circumstances around her disappearance.
15 June 2017, 18:00 PM

Cyclone Mora batters Rohingya homes

Flimsy huts and lack of early warning in the camps lead to considerable damage.
8 June 2017, 18:00 PM

Guilty of what?

With the court dismissing all the other complaints, the narcotics claim is the main battleground now. However, when the case is analysed, what comes up is that the law enforcers found only 45 yaba tablets. Twenty-eight men were sent to jail for it. Breaking down, it is 1.6 tablets per person only
25 May 2017, 18:00 PM

Is this our city?

In this city of 14.5 million people, at least 9.07 percent of its inhabitants have some form of physical disability, according to Household Income Expenditure Survey 2011 of Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics.
13 April 2017, 18:00 PM

Mirpur Camp in Numbers

In a world post-Syria, 'refugee' has almost become a dirty word. It is no longer an individual seeking solace from a terrible monster or a family leaving everything they have known behind because a fire has come to consume them.
20 October 2016, 18:00 PM

Dreams from the Streets

“I want to keep working,” says 16-year-old Akash. “I want to be an engineer!” says little Sagor, just 12. 11-year-old Sajeeb, the youngest, wants to be in the garment's sector.
9 June 2016, 18:00 PM

Save Our Children

Child labour is not only horrifyingly prevalent in our society, it is growing, and that is something we should be very, very afraid of.
12 May 2016, 18:00 PM

We Can't Turn a Blind Eye

Abdul Kader, a nine-year-old boy was cleaning the fuel chamber of a private car. Lying beneath the car's axle when Abdul opened the
5 May 2016, 18:00 PM

Displaced in Dystopia

Shahzadi Begum sat on her bed, her eyes firmly on the recording device set before her. She wore a smile across her face, belying the apprehension evident in her eyes. “When they were asking people if they wanted to go to Pakistan, I wanted to go too.
31 March 2016, 18:00 PM

Shrouded in Mystery

The heist of 101 million US dollars from Bangladesh Bank's account with the New York Federal Reserve Bank has taken the country into a state of total confusion.
24 March 2016, 18:00 PM