Maybe 15-year-old Rima will not be seen as a child by some, given the ambiguity that surrounds the legal age of consent. Maybe her suicide, after being accused of immoral behaviour, will not be seen as a crime perpetuated by society but rather something she did to herself.

Recently, I came across a friend's Facebook status that read: “The rain is supposed to bring forth life from land, and comfort our stressful minds. Not flood our cities and villages, nor wash away homes and livelihood.

On July 30, a father in Narayanganj burned his nine-month-old female infant alive since he “wanted a son” and was enraged at the birth of a girl (“Father 'wanted son', burns baby girl alive”, The Daily Star, August 4, 2017).

In this era of information and communication technology, “data” has become the new gold rush for both state actors (governments, law enforcement agencies, intelligence, etc.) and non-state actors (corporations, multinational companies, individual hackers or hacker groups, terrorist organisations, etc.).

Interestingly though, most people in Bangladesh would not consider mental health a disease. It raises hope, therefore, that the conversations about mental health, are beginning to occur in the context of general health issues as has been on the occasion of World Health Day on the 7th of April this year.

Some of our policies do not even support innovation; the heavy taxation on machinery components and spare parts import is one big challenge for agro machinery manufacturers.

We need to acknowledge that the reluctance in our country to criminalise marital rape is rooted in the medieval notion that upon signing the marriage contract, a wife perpetually and irrevocably consents to sexual intercourse with her husband whenever he so demands.

In the Primary Education Completion Exam (PECE), a mandatory national exam introduced in 2009, the latest pass rate is 98.5 percent. This is a success that cannot be ignored.

Recently a few students of one of the leading public universities of the country became so unruly as to assault a police sergeant when he tried to perform his duty by not letting the university bus pass through the wrong side.

The simulation results show what a big difference a strategic approach to Dhaka's urban development would make.

You can't help it. You see us from afar—our messy beard, unkempt appearance, the distinct attire that sets us apart from others.

Nature, contrary to popular belief, does not work in mysterious ways. Conventional wisdom acquired over centuries as well as the rise of technology have made it possible for us to foresee changes about to occur in the natural world. It's human nature that seems mysterious to me. And the fact that we often tend to ignore the consequences of our own action makes us very dangerous, too.

“For the truly serious, socially conscious filmmaker, there can be no prolonged withdrawal into fantasy. He must face the challenge of contemporary reality, examine the facts, probe them, sift them and select from them the material to be transformed into the stuff of cinema.”

Ironically, without even being a mentionable producer of narcotic drugs or psychotropic substances, Bangladesh has emerged as a victim of the proliferation of drug abuse sponsored by underworld criminals and syndicates for the last three and a half decades.

Watching television snuggled between my parents or grandparents; talking to them for hours; rubbing their feet when they were tired from work. On quite a few of these occasions, my father will say something that he means as a compliment, but one that takes me by surprise every time. He wonders aloud if I'd still be spending time with them this way if I were a son. I argue, every time, that that's beside the point.

According to the World Health Organisation (2011), persons with disabilities make up 15 percent of the population. Developing countries lose up to seven percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) due to the exclusion of persons with disabilities from the labour market. When persons with disabilities have access to skills training, they can significantly meet the rising demand of skilled labour, which provides considerable economic advantages.

Since the World Conference on Women in Mexico in 1975, Bangladesh has been at the forefront among the least-developed countries (LDCs) in addressing gender disparities. The country's achievements in education and gender parity in education, has also been remarkable. However, despite its success in achieving gender parity in many areas, some sections of the population have been left behind. One such section is female students in madrassah schools.

Using the powers of malicious stupidity you can avoid all of these confusing, upsetting thoughts and events that force you to criticise and develop yourself. All you have to do is convince yourself that everything that challenges your views is a lie.

On a mild morning last February, I summoned my Deputy Giuseppe Semenza for the rehearsal of a joint performance to be staged next day at Shilpakala Academy on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day.

Misogyny is not a new phenomenon in our country. It is an age-old trait that has somehow become a part of our national psyche.