Monthly Research Reports

Operation Devil Hunt: Bangladesh’s Growing Crime Rate & Public Safety Crisis

Bangladesh is at a turning point in its history as it deals with an increase in crime and political unrest after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown by a student-led movement. Former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was overthrown in July 2024 as a result of widespread protests sparked by decades of systemic corruption, socioeconomic inequality, and an intense distrust of current law enforcement. Public outrage over a contentious public sector employment quota served as the starting point for the movement, which quickly expanded to include demands for extensive democratic reforms and accountability for widespread violations of human rights. Public dissatisfaction was heightened by the ruthless crackdown that followed under Hasina’s rule, which resulted in the detention of thousands of activists, journalists, and political dissidents.

Call It What It Is: Why Recognising the Bangladesh Genocide Matters

Genocide is marked by such unimaginable horror and devastation that, for some, it raises the question: why remember it at all? The answer is multifaceted. We remember it because doing so is important to recognising the truth of what has happened, and recognition is how we show empathy to others, secure justice for victims, preserve historical truth, prevent future atrocities, and uphold the rule of law.

Women’s Rights and Activism in Post-July 2024 Bangladesh

Bangladesh is currently undergoing a political and societal transformation. The country was formed in 1971 after a brutal genocide launched by the Pakistani military. The genocide that began on March 25th, 1971, resulted in the deaths of between 300,000 and three million people (Zakaria, 2019). Women and girls were also victims of violence and sexual assault with some experts estimating that between 200,000 and 400,000 were raped during the genocide (Begum, 2023). Similar to the partition of India, sexual violence was used as a military tactic. The stories of these women and girls remain largely unknown due to the stigma regarding sexual violence. Furthermore, the lack of recognition of the genocide allows for impunity of these crimes to continue. The effects of the genocide are still felt today in Bangladesh, made evident by the recent protests that gripped the country.

Who Rules the World? The Crisis and Reinvention of International Law in a Fractured Global Order

In an era marked by armed conflict, mass displacement, climate collapse, and techno governance, international law finds itself in a profound identity crisis. Once hailed as the normative framework to prevent war, protect rights, and uphold global order, it now faces accusations of irrelevance, hypocrisy, and impotence. In 2025, what do we mean by “international law”? Is it a coherent legal system grounded in shared values, or a patchwork of norms invoked selectively by powerful actors? Traditionally, international law referred to treaties, conventions, and principles governing the conduct of sovereign states. But today, that definition feels increasingly inadequate. The global stage is no longer shaped solely by nation-states. Multinational corporations, billionaire technocrats, and transnational platforms exert influence that challenges the foundations of state-centric legal systems.
And states, even those states breaching international law, employ its logic to defend themselves against accusations (Bertamini, 2024). As power becomes more fragmented and legal norms more contested, International Law appears to oscillate between symbolic invocation and strategic manipulation. This paradox is particularly evident in how states and non-state actors alike selectively embrace legal language: not as a commitment to shared principles, but as a tool for legitimacy or deflection. The result is a global legal order marked by fragmentation, contested authority, and growing cynicism.

International Accountability for the Destruction of Cultural and Religious Heritage in the Bangladesh Liberation War

They attack culturally significant properties as they believe that their enemies are culturally superior or inferior. With the destruction of cultural property, they wish to establish and exhibit unilateral political authority over “the others” by destroying their rich cultural heritage. (Rahim, 2018) An estimated 1.5 to three million people were killed between March 26th and December 16th, 1971 in occupied Bangladesh (Beachler, 2007). The loss of human life, the targeting of intellectuals, the suppression of Bengali identity, and the displacement of populations profoundly damaged the cultural heritage of Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War (Nishant & Hossain, 2022).

Religious Minorities and Indigenous Communities in Post-July 2024 Bangladesh

Since Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan in 1971, the country has witnessed a continuous struggle between democratic aspirations and autocratic resurgence. This tension reached a critical point during the 2024 national elections, marking one of the most controversial political transitions in the country’s history. After 15 years of leadership, the world’s longest-serving female prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, fled to India in self-imposed exile following months of protests. Her premiership, characterised by widespread repression of dissent, accusations of electoral fraud, silencing critics and systematic violations of civil liberties, catalysed national unrest, which ended with the “July Revolution”. The power vacuum created by this transitional period and the absence of a functioning law enforcement system exposed minorities, particularly Hindus, Ahmadiyya Muslims, Buddhists, Christians and the indigenous groups in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) to widespread attacks and human rights violations (OHCHR, 2025, p. 3).

Who rules the world

In an era marked by armed conflict, mass displacement, climate collapse, and techno governance, international law finds itself in a profound identity crisis. Once hailed as the normative framework to prevent war, protect rights, and uphold global order, it now faces accusations of irrelevance, hypocrisy, and impotence. In 2025, what do we mean by “international law”? Is it a coherent legal system grounded in shared values, or a patchwork of norms invoked selectively by powerful actors? Traditionally, international law referred to treaties, conventions, and principles governing the conduct of sovereign states. But today, that definition feels increasingly inadequate. The global stage is no longer shaped solely by nation-states. Multinational corporations, billionaire technocrats, and transnational platforms exert influence that challenges the foundations of state-centric legal systems. And states, even those states breaching international law, employ its logic to defend themselves against accusations (Bertamini, 2024). As power becomes more fragmented and legal norms more contested, International Law appears to oscillate between symbolic invocation and strategic manipulation. This paradox is particularly evident in how states and non-state actors alike selectively embrace legal language: not as a commitment to shared principles, but as a tool for legitimacy or deflection. The result is a global legal order marked by fragmentation, contested authority, and growing cynicism.

Enforced Disappearances in Pakistan

Enforced disappearances have remained one of Pakistan’s most persistent and deeply entrenched human rights issues, dating back to at least the 1970s (Amnesty International, 2008). While instances of state-backed disappearances had been reported before, the phenomenon escalated dramatically in the early 2000s. This surge coincided with Pakistan’s alignment with the U.S.-led “war on terror” following the events of September 11, 2001 (HRW, 2007). As part of counterterrorism efforts, numerous individuals accused of terrorism-related offenses—both Pakistani citizens and foreign nationals—were abducted, placed in secret detention facilities, and effectively “disappeared,” often without trial or legal justification (Harding & Hatchard, 1993).

Nike’s supply Chain in Vietnam: Labour rights Violations and Corporate Accountability

Nike, Inc., a global manufacturer of athletic footwear and apparel, has long relied on its manufacturing hub in Vietnam, as nearly 50 percent of the company’s footwear production originates from this source (Nike Inc., 2023). However, this dependency has come at the expense of utilising inexpensive labour, putting the company under constant criticism due to ongoing claims of breaches of international labour rights standards. Said claims are based on the utilisation of child labour, exploitative working conditions, the infringement of labour rights, and wage theft. These instances not only highlight the systemic issues surrounding supply chain manufacturing obligations and accountability standards but also raise fundamental questions regarding corporate responsibility and the international obligations that multinational corporations hold in ensuring ethical and fair labor practices.
Despite Nike, Inc. addressing previous controversies with the implementation of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives, critics argue that the implementation of these reforms fails to address the fundamental issues of these problems. This report addresses the complexity of Nike’s supply chain, their efforts towards accountability on the presence of past and current labour rights infringements, as well as the broader ramifications for their corporate responsibility. Additionally, the international legal frameworks, in combination with the advocacy for consumer protection, will be addressed in order to assess how multinational corporations are supervised and held accountable for their supply chain operations.

A Road Towards Efficient Financing of Humanitarian Aid

Humanitarian aid acts as a safety net to communities endangered by instability, whether that instability is caused by a climate disaster, a war, or any other cause outside of the affected community’s control. This aid contributes to the immediate needs of the affected populations and helps to lay the foundations for lasting development and recovery. It is estimated that over 362 million people worldwide require humanitarian aid to survive.

6th GHRD International Film Festival: Human Trafficking Edition
Submission Deadline: 9th August 2026
Submission Form