Every Saturday and Wednesday, Alo Rani Chakma makes a long journey from her village in Naniarchar upazila of Rangamati to Banarupa Bazar in the district town.

Across the three hill districts of Bandarban, Rangamati, and Khagrachhari, women are the visible driving force of local commerce

Hill women remain largely invisible within a system that does not recognise their ancestral kinship with the land.

Indigenous women's traditional knowledge and practices can help us to survive with nature instead of abusing it. In Bangladesh, their inherent value are yet to be fully understood and duly recognised by the scientific community, development practitioners and policymakers alike.

Despite the government's pledge to adopt a zero tolerance for violence against women and children, there has not been significant progress in the ground realities.