BANGLADESH: Ensure Women’s Empowerment by Achieving Gender Equality

A joint statement by AFAD and Odhikar on the occasion of International Women’s Day 2021

Dhaka/Manila, 8 March 2021: Violence and discrimination against women are widespread in Bangladesh. Moreover, due to rampant human rights violations such as enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, deaths in custody due to torture, majority of women from victim families face trauma, insecurity and financial difficulties. In Bangladesh, along with the repression by the authoritarian regime, women face a deep-rooted patriarchal power system. The victims of enforced disappearance or extrajudicial killing are mainly male who in most cases are breadwinners. Therefore, their disappearance or extrajudicial killing not only creates severe trauma in the families but also imposes extreme financial burden on them. Women, especially wives of victims, suddenly find themselves heading the household even as they struggle to cope with the trauma.

Death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed in jail while detained under the Digital Security Act

Statement of Odhikar

Odhikar is deeply concerned over the death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed on 25 February 2021, who was detained in Kashimpur Central Jail under the repressive Digital Security Act, 2018. Police also attacked anti-government student organisations in Dhaka when they brought out a rally in protest of his death and to demand the repeal of the Digital Security Act, 2018. Many were injured and arrested and all were deprived of their freedom of peaceful assembly.

Odhikar: ANNUAL HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT 2020 BANGLADESH

Foreword

Since its inception in 1994, Odhikar has been relentlessly struggling to protect the civil, political, social, economic and cultural rights of the people. Odhikar, as an organisation of human rights defenders, has always sought to raise awareness of all human rights violations committed by the state and campaign for internationally recognized civil and political rights, to protest and prevent the state from violating human rights. Odhikar unconditionally stands by the victims of oppression and maintains no prejudice with regard to their political leanings or ideological orientation and it advocates for establishing protection and justice for victims of human rights abuses.

AFAD demands to know the truth about Sombath Somphone on the 8th year of his disappearance by the Lao Government

Manila: It has been eight years since the disappearance of Sombath Somphone, a community development worker from Laos. The Asian Federation Against Involuntary Disappearances (AFAD) continues to stand in solidarity with Sombath’s family, friends, and other human rights defenders who struggle to know the whereabouts of Sombath.