The image shows the countries from which remittance flows to Bangladesh, a service that is severely affected by the coronavirus outbreak.

By Star Online Report
May 25 2020 (IPS-Partners)

The UK and Switzerland are calling for greater global collaboration to ensure access to digital remittance services to support people during the coronavirus outbreak.

Such remittance accounts for more than five percent of the GDP in at least sixty developing countries. The World Bank predicts remittances to low- and middle-income countries will fall by 20 percent or $110 billion in 2020.

In a joint press statement, the two European countries said it is important to make sure diaspora communities around the world can continue to send financial support to their families.

The call is important for Bangladesh. A country that heavily depends on migrant remittance, which was $18 billion last year and is likely to decline by 22 percent this year. Also, several lakh Bangladeshi migrants may return home after facing job losses, while those aspiring to find jobs abroad may also not see the dream come true any time soon.

The joint statement issued on Friday highlighted the urgent need for people to be able to continue accessing money transfer services, and for governments to make sure those funds reach those relying on this support.

Both UK and Switzerland are also urging countries to support greater access to digital remittance services and to declare remittances an essential financial service. They are also encouraging remittance service providers to reduce costs and fees for people making payments.

Money sent by individuals to family and friends living in low- and middle-income countries totaled $554bn in 2019 and is a vital lifeline in many developing countries, boosting economic development and lifting people out of poverty.

But coronavirus is already having a big impact, with a drop in the wages of migrant workers and coronavirus restrictions making it more difficult for people to access money transfer services.

A drop in remittance would have a severe impact on countries where many people are already facing destitution and even starvation as a result of the huge economic impact of the pandemic.

UK’s International Development Secretary Anne-Marie Trevelyan said, “The coronavirus pandemic means we are all concerned about how our family and friends here and overseas are coping. That’s why we’re making it easier for diaspora communities in the UK and other countries to continue to transfer money to their relatives.”

“This will be lifesaving for some families in developing countries where coronavirus is making a lack of food and healthcare, and extreme poverty, even worse. We are helping to prevent fragile economies from facing potential collapse during the pandemic.”

Federal Councillor Ignazio Cassis, head of the Swiss Federal Department of Foreign Affairs added.

“Remittances are important, but difficult because of COVID-19. So, let’s make sure those barriers are removed worldwide! New technologies can help us here.”

The joint call was backed by partners, including the World Bank, the UN Capital Development Fund, UN Development Programme and the International Organisation for Migration. A number of countries have already joined, including Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Jamaica, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan.

The UK government has made it clear that in the UK people can continue to visit remittance centres should they need to, while observing social distancing and staying safe. Digital money transfer services are also available.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

Excerpt:

Amnesty International released a music video today on the occasion of the International Day of Education to encourage people of Bangladesh and around the world to support education for Rohingya children and those of host communities in Bangladesh.

Bangladeshi hip-hop lyricist and musician Mahmud Hasan Tabib and child artist Rana Mridha, who became popular on YouTube for their songs promoting education of underprivileged children in the country, lent their voices to the track, according to an Amnesty International media release.

“As humanity is not limited to the confines of any one race or border, supporting education of the oppressed Rohingya children is all of our responsibility. This song for Rohingya children’s education is driven by that belief. I felt inspired to work with Amnesty International after learning about their work to promote education of the oppressed Rohingya children,” said Tabib.

The Bangla song, with English subtitles, contains the lyrics: “If all children today are enlightened with education, the future of the world will be bright. Otherwise, it will be a mistake, injustice will increase. They will be silenced by the rage of the sinners.”

Thousands of Rohingya children and youth are denied access to education in villages and towns in Myanmar as well as in places where they have sought refuge. Raising these children without access to education exposes them to poverty and exploitation, which in some cases include serious criminal activity such as drug smuggling, child trafficking or recruitment into violent armed groups.

“Education is not at odds with repatriation. Instead, a quality education in appropriate language and accredited curriculum can empower the Rohingya children to claim their rights, contribute to the society and economy they live in,” said Saad Hammadi, South Asia campaigner at Amnesty International.

Nearly a million Rohingya refugees have fled to Bangladesh from their homes in Myanmar because of action by the military in the country, many of which amount to crimes against humanity. Almost half a million are children below 18 years living in threadbare camps in Cox’s Bazar, which has the lowest primary school enrolment rate in the country at 71 percent and the second highest drop-out rate at 31 percent.

Amnesty International launched a petition in major countries calling on governments to support Bangladesh in educating the children of Rohingya refugees and those of the host community.

A global petition also calls on Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to ensure quality education in appropriate language and accredited curriculum to protect the social, cultural and linguistic identities of both communities.

“As we encourage the international community to share responsibility for the crisis that has hit Bangladesh as a result of the refugee influx, using this moment to improve access to education for all children in Cox’s Bazar will be a step in a positive direction for the government of Bangladesh,” said Saad Hammadi.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

Former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon speaks at a programme on climate change in Dhaka on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. Photo grabbed from Facebook live video/ Ashraful Alam Khokan, Deputy Press Secretary To the Honorable Prime minister at Prime Minister's Office

By Star Online Report
Jul 10 2019 (IPS-Partners)

(The Daily Star) – Former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon today said Bangladesh is the best teacher in climate change adaptation.

Ban Ki-moon said this while addressing the inaugural ceremony of a two-day international conference on climate change adaptation in Dhaka.

“We are here to learn from Bangladesh’s experiences and vision, when it comes to adaptation, our best teachers are opened doors who are on the front lines of climate change,” Moon said.

A few countries have more to teach the rest of the world than Bangladesh, Bangladesh is thus is the best teacher to learn about the adaptation, he said.

“If sea levels were to rise by just one metre, 17% of the country (Bangladesh) would be under water by 2050, he said.

“According to the IPCC, Dhaka itself could be engulfed by even or slight rise in sea level,” he added.

While the rest of the world debate climate change, for Bangladesh adapting to a warmer, more violent, less predictable climate is a matter of absolute survival, he said.

Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine, World Bank CEO Kristalina Georgieva and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina spoke on the occasion among other distinguished guests at a Dhaka hotel this morning.

Former United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon, Marshall Islands President Hilda Heine and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina meet at a lounge at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka on Wednesday, July 10, 2019. Photo: PID

Bangladesh will showcase its good practices on climate change adaption initiatives like water resilient crops, home solar system and climate trust fund.

The meeting will prepare a set of recommendations on climate change adaptation for placing it before the UN in September.

During their stay here, the international dignitaries are scheduled to visit the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar to see environmental degradation caused by the Rohingya influx and settlement

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani. Photo courtesy: UN News

By Star Online Report
Oct 9 2018 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights today called upon the Bangladesh government to urgently revise the Digital Security Act, to ensure that it is in line with international human rights law.

“We call on Bangladesh to urgently revise the Digital Security Act, to ensure that it is in line with international human rights law and that it provides for checks and balances against arbitrary arrest, detention, and other undue restrictions of the rights of individuals to the legitimate exercise of their freedom of expression and opinion. We stand ready to assist the Government,” said Spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Ravina Shamdasani.

The Digital Security Act was on Monday signed into law in Bangladesh, despite wide-ranging concerns that its content and scope could seriously impede the exercise of the rights to freedom of expression and opinion, as well as the rights to liberty of the person and to due process of law.

“The Act could have a severe impact on the work of journalists, bloggers, commentators and historians but also penalizes the legitimate exercise of the right to freedom of expression by any other individual, including on social media,” she said in the statement.

“The law contains vague provisions that would impose long prison sentences of up to seven years or a fine for online speech that disturbs the law and order situation, affects religious feelings or ruins communal harmony.”

Any kind of propaganda or publicity against the “Spirit of The War of Liberation”, the National Anthem or National Flag is punishable by imprisonment of up to 10 years on first offence and/or a fine of 10 million Bangladesh Taka (nearly 120,000 USD). Provisions linking to digital offences under the colonial-era Official Secrets Act carry penalties of 14 years’ imprisonment, and life imprisonment for repeat offenders.

The Act gives the police wide powers of search and arrest without warrant. Many of the offences in the Act are unbailable, reads the statement.

“This is of particular concern given concerns about due process in Bangladesh.”

The Act also provides broad powers to the Government to restrict and intercept digital information.

“The law as it stands does not meet Bangladesh’s obligations under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, including provisions to respect and protect the right to be free from arbitrary arrest under Article 9; to protection from interference with privacy and correspondence under Article 17, and to freedom of opinion and expression under Article 19,” she also said.

During its Universal Periodic Review by the UN Human Rights Council on 20 September, the day after the Act was initially adopted by Parliament, the Government of Bangladesh agreed to recommendations relating to the freedom of expression and to bringing national legislation into compliance with its international obligations. However, despite pledges to revisit the problematic provisions of the Act, it was signed into law yesterday.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

Police baton-charge agitating students near the BRTA office in the city's Mirpur-13 around noon on Tuesday, July 31, 2018. Students of several colleges in the area brought out the procession, demanding justice for the two college students who were killed in a road crash in Kurmitola area on Sunday. Photo: Collected

By Star Online Report
Aug 7 2018 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

The European Union has expressed concern over protest and violent clashes in Dhaka that triggered since deaths of two college students in road crashes.

In a statement released today, the European Union heads of mission to Bangladesh called for remaining calm and have respect towards the right to peaceful protest.

“We expect all sides to remain calm and to respect the right to peaceful protest. Incidents of unlawful or disproportionate violence or action against protestors, journalists or others need to stop; those that happened must be investigated and perpetrators held to account,” said the statement of nine envoys based in Dhaka.

The school-children’s protests highlighted fears over road safety and the enforcement of laws and regulations on the roads in Bangladesh, it said.

The Government’s recognition of the need for action is a welcome step and we therefore expect further Government action to address this without delay, it added.

The signatories are envoys of the UK, Denmark, Spain, France, Italy, Germany, Sweeden, Netherlands and chief of delegation of the European Union.

UN Youth Envoy lauds protests

UN Youth Envoy Jayathma Wickramanayake has lauded the student protests.

She tweeted: “My visit to Bangladesh couldn’t have been more timely! Talking about #SafeSpaces4Youth I admired the resilience of young ppl demanding #RoadSafety & called on the government & other actors to end violence immediately & ensure the safety of young ppl expressing their concerns.”

Norway ‘deeply regrets’ violence on peaceful student demo

The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Dhaka has expressed deep regrets for the “recent outbreaks of targeted violence against peaceful, student-led demonstrations in support of safer roads in Bangladesh.”

The embassy published a post on its Facebook page today in this regard.

“Norway deeply regrets recent outbreaks of targeted violence against peaceful, student-led demonstrations in support of safer roads in Bangladesh,” the statement read.

In the statement, the embassy also expressed admiration for students and schoolchildren for exercising their democratic rights of assembly and free speech.

“Students and schoolchildren exercising their democratic rights of assembly and free speech are deserving of our admiration and protection.”

“They represent strength, not dangerous discord,” the post added.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

By Star Online Report
Sep 12 2017 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

A video of twin babies, not more than a few days old, brought along with the fleeting mass of Rohingyas has taken the internet by sympathy.

United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) released a video of the twins taken to a refugee camp in Bangladesh in a basket.

According to UN estimates, over 300,000 Rohingyas have fled into Bangladesh since August to escape the persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

A Rohingya refugee carries a child through a paddy field after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, in Teknaf, Bangladesh, September 6, 2017. Photo: Reuters/Danish Siddiqui

By Star Online Report
Sep 6 2017 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

The UN Migration Agency, IOM, in Bangladesh has appealed for an immediate fund of US$ 18 million for humanitarian assistance as tens of thousands of Rohingya continue to stream into Bangladesh since August 25.

“This appeal will be followed by a more comprehensive needs assessment and response plan,” says a statement issued by the International Organization for Migration (IOM) Bangladesh today.

The agency estimates a total of 123,600 people have crossed into Bangladesh from Myanmar.

Thousands of people are still arriving every day, looking for space to settle down in, and there are clear signs that more will cross before the situation stabilizes, it said.

Prior to the latest influx, IOM Bangladesh was coordinating humanitarian assistance to some 200,000 UMNs living in makeshift settlements in Cox’s Bazar.

Lifesaving services delivered by IOM and its partner agencies include drinking water and sanitation, shelter, food security, health care, education, and psychosocial support for the most vulnerable individuals, many whom are suffering from acute mental trauma or are survivors of sexual violence.

“The new arrivals are putting immense strain on the existing support structures. These need to be immediately scaled up to ensure lives are not put at risk,” said Sarat Dash, IOM Bangladesh Chief of Mission.

“We are running out of space in the existing settlements and new arrivals are pitching camp wherever they can erect some plastic sheeting to protect themselves from the elements. They have very limited understanding of the available services. We need to urgently look at their shelter needs and make sure people have safe spaces in which to stay,” he added.

Most of the people crossing the border are women, children and the elderly, many of whom are vulnerable and lack the ability to take care of themselves.

Bangladesh already hosts an estimated 400,000 UMNs [Undocumented Myanmar Nationals], most of whom are living in the greater Chittagong area, which is extremely vulnerable to external shocks, including cyclones.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

By Star Online Report
May 30 2017 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

Bangladesh, the delta country, has been in the line of a few devastating tropical cyclones. In their trail, the cyclones have left behind complete chaos, death and despair. As the country learns to adapt and respond to this natural disaster more efficiently, we take a look back at some of the worst tropical cyclones to have hit the country.

 
1970 Bhola cyclone

Landfall: November 12, 1970

Casualty: More than 500,000

Affected areas: Chittagong, Barguna, Khepupara, Patuakhali, north of Char Burhanuddin, Char Tazumuddin and south of Maijdi, Haringhata

Damages: More than 400,000 houses and 3,500 educational institutions were destroyed

1991 cyclone

Landfall: April 29, 1991

Casualty: 150,000

Affected areas: Chittagong district of southeastern Bangladesh

Damages: As many as 10 million people became homeless

Cyclone Sidr

Landfall: November 15, 2007

Casualty: Up to 10,000, according to Red Crescent Society

Affected areas: Bagerhat, Barisal, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Khulna and Satkhira

Damages: Livestock, farms and feeds worth more than Tk 130 crore were destroyed

Cyclone Aila

Landfall: May 25, 2009

Casualty: 190

Affected areas: Southwestern coastal regions of Bangladesh

Damages: 6,000 kilometres of roads damaged, more than 500,000 people became homeless, complete destruction of 275 primary schools and damage to 1,942 schools

 

Cyclone Roanu

Landfall: May 21, 2016

Casualty: 26

Most affected areas: Sandwip, Hatia, Kutubdia, Sitakundu and Feni

Damages: Around one lakh houses were damaged and about 150,000 families were affected

 

Sources: Information taken from various sources including UNICEF and Red Crescent Society

Photos: AFP and file photos

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

By Star Online Report
Feb 25 2017 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

Abdus Samad Sheikh, 60, cannot sleep peacefully at night if he doesn’t plant a tree every day.

Samad, who lives in Vagondanga village in Aliabad union in Faridpur Sadar upazila has planted around 50,000 trees over the past 48 years. A nature lover by passion, Samad earns around Tk 100 every day by pulling rickshaw in Faridpur, which he spends on buying essentials for his family and at least one plant a day.

To know more about this passionate tree lover watch the video from Star Live!

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

By Star Online Report
Nov 8 2016 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

A private university in Thailand has decided to accept rice as payment for its tuition fees.

The authorities of Rangsit University have taken the decision in an attempt to help farmers who have been affected by the drop in prices of crops across the kingdom, reports thestartv.com.

The university is also providing free lodging in its campus in northern Bangkok for farmers from central Thailand to help them sell their rice directly to buyers.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

By Star Online Report
Sep 12 2016 (The Daily Star, Bangladesh)

At least 24 people were killed and 74 injured, many critically, in a huge fire triggered by a boiler explosion at plastic packaging factory Tampaco Foils Limited in Tongi industrial area of Gazipur today.

Part of the four-story building collapsed on the impact of the incident, the biggest industrial disaster since 2013 when the Rana Plaza building collapsed.

There were chemical-filled drums mostly kept on the ground floor of the factory, our correspondent reports quoting locals.

This video was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh

Many migrant domestic workers including Bangladeshis are trapped in abusive employment in Oman with their plight hidden behind closed doors, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report released today.

A migrant domestic worker watches over a child playing in the Magic Planet, City Centre Muscat, a shopping mall in Oman. Photo: Human Rights Watch

They should provide the domestic workers with labour law protections equal to those enjoyed by other workers, and investigate all situations of possible trafficking, forced labor, and slavery, it added.

The 68-page report, “‘I Was Sold’: Abuse and Exploitation of Migrant Domestic Workers in Oman,” documents how Oman’s kafala (sponsorship) immigrant labour system and lack of labour law protections leaves migrant domestic workers exposed to abuse and exploitation by employers, whose consent they need to change jobs.

Those who flee abuse – including beatings, sexual abuse, unpaid wages, and excessive working hours – have little avenue for redress and can face legal penalties for “absconding.”

Families rely on migrant domestic workers to care for their children, cook their meals, and clean their homes. Yet many migrant domestic workers, who rely on their salaries to support their own families and children at home, face cruel and exploitative conditions, the report said.

Employers rarely face penalties for abuse: Researcher

“Migrant domestic workers in Oman are bound to their employers and left to their mercy,” said Rothna Begum, Middle East women’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

“Employers can force domestic workers to work without rest, pay, or food, knowing they can be punished if they escape, while the employers rarely face penalties for abuse,” she said.

At least 130,000 female migrant domestic workers, and possibly many more, work in the sultanate. Most are from the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Ethiopia, the report said.

Human Rights Watch interviewed 59 migrant domestic workers in Oman. In some cases, workers described abuses that amounted to forced labor or trafficking – often across Oman’s porous border with the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Employers typically pay fees to recruitment agencies to secure domestic workers’ services, and several workers said that their employers told them they had “bought” them.

Some employers demand that workers reimburse them for recruitment fees for their “release”, the report said.

“Asma K,” from Bangladesh, said she went to the UAE to work there, but that her recruitment agent “sold” her to a man who confiscated her passport and took her to Oman.

He forced her to work 21 hours a day for a family of 15 with no rest or day off; deprived her of food; verbally abused and sexually harassed her; and paid her nothing.

“I would start working at 4:30 a.m. and finish at 1 a.m.,” she said. “For the entire day they wouldn’t let me sit. When I said I want to leave, he said, ‘I bought you for 1,560 rials (US$4,052) from Dubai. Give it back to me and then you can go.’”

The HRW said migrant domestic workers in Oman are bound to their employers and left to their mercy.

Employers can force domestic workers to work without rest, pay, or food, knowing they can be punished if they escape, while the employers rarely face penalties for abuse, the rights organization said.

Most of the workers said their employers confiscated their passports. Many said their employers did not pay them their full salaries, forced them to work excessively long hours without breaks or days off, or denied them adequate food and living conditions. Some said their employers physically abused them; a few described sexual abuse.

The situation is so dire that some countries, such as Indonesia, have banned their nationals from migrating to Oman and other countries with comparable track records.

The bans, however, are ineffective, and can put women at heightened risk of trafficking or forced labor as they and recruiters try to circumvent the restrictions. While some countries have increased protections for their nationals who work abroad, others do not fully protect workers against deceptive recruitment practices or provide adequate assistance to abused nationals abroad, the report said.

Domestic workers and kafala system

The report said Oman’s restrictive kafala system, also used in neighbouring Gulf countries, ties migrant domestic workers’ visas to their employers. They cannot work for a new employer without the current employer’s permission, even if they complete their contract or their employer is abusive.

In 2011, Oman told members of the United Nations Human Rights Council that it was “researching an alternative to the [visa] sponsorship system,” but Human Rights Watch said itis not aware of any concrete proposals made since.

Oman’s labour law explicitly excludes domestic workers, and regulations issued in 2004 on domestic workers provide only basic protection. In April 2016, the Times of Oman quoted a Ministry of Manpower official stating that Oman is considering including domestic workers in its labour law, it added.

The Human Rights Watch said the Omani government did not respond to its requests for information on law reforms or other measures to protect domestic workers’ rights.

Bangladesh Embassy in Oman’s reaction

Talking about the report, Zahed Ahmed, counsellor (Labour) at Bangladesh embassy in Muscat, admitted that there are some incidents of abuses like work-load, passport confiscation and irregular salary payment.

“Like other Middle Eastern countries, domestic workers including Bangladeshis are also facing different abuses. As the domestic helps are being hired individually or privately, it is difficult to assess all the employers,” he told The Daily Star from Oman over phone today.

This story was originally published by The Daily Star, Bangladesh