Reports
Religious Repression | Bangladesh
- GHRD Team
- 12 July 2022
Bangladesh, officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is a country located in South Asia. With a population of over 163.1 million (DESA, 2019), Bangladesh is the eighth most populous country in the world (Visual Capitalist, 2020). Dhaka is the capital and the largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the economic, cultural, and political centre of the country. The political system of Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy,
with the Constitution providing the Parliament and the Prime Minister with substantial powers. Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister after winning her third consecutive term. However, the country still faces accusations of constant irregularities in its electoral process.
In Bangladesh, over 98 percent of the population are Bengali, and the remaining two percent are identified as Indigenous ethnic groups and migrants. Approximately 89 percent of the population is Muslim, while ten percent are Hindu. The remainder of the religious citizens are constituted by Christians and Buddhists. Islam remains the State religion since 1988, despite the ruling of the Supreme Court which reaffirmed that the State should be secular (Hashmi and Arshi, 2011). The official language of Bangladesh is Bengali, however, there are five other regional languages, and over 30 languages are spoken in the country.
The country has long been known for its extreme poverty. Asignificant part of the inhabitants are small farmers, who struggle to make a living with small plots of land. Many of the workers in urban areas earn just a few cents a day. In the garment industry, one of the most important industries for the national economy, workers make approximately $132 a month, with no guarantee of a minimum wage (ABC News, 2019). According to the World Bank, among the labour-force population in urban areas, 28 percent of the women and 19 percent of the men are illiterate (World Bank, 2018). This states the difficulty of access to work for women.
In addition, the country faces the challenges of the Rohingya refugee crisis, the disastrous consequences of climate change, the gender violence, child marriage, the criminalization of homosexuality, and religious
1
conflicts. Since August 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar (UNHCR, 2021). Nevertheless, the Rohingyas continue to face discrimination in Bangladesh. They are not allowed to work or move freely and thus, face economic inequality and security issues (Centre for Global Development, 2021).
Journalists and activists in Bangladesh also frequently face physical attacks or imprisonment for reporting material that is often found to be ‘false’ or ‘defamatory’ (GOV.UK, 2021). Besides, enforced disappearances, unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents are significant violations in the country.
with the Constitution providing the Parliament and the Prime Minister with substantial powers. Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister after winning her third consecutive term. However, the country still faces accusations of constant irregularities in its electoral process.
In Bangladesh, over 98 percent of the population are Bengali, and the remaining two percent are identified as Indigenous ethnic groups and migrants. Approximately 89 percent of the population is Muslim, while ten percent are Hindu. The remainder of the religious citizens are constituted by Christians and Buddhists. Islam remains the State religion since 1988, despite the ruling of the Supreme Court which reaffirmed that the State should be secular (Hashmi and Arshi, 2011). The official language of Bangladesh is Bengali, however, there are five other regional languages, and over 30 languages are spoken in the country.
The country has long been known for its extreme poverty. Asignificant part of the inhabitants are small farmers, who struggle to make a living with small plots of land. Many of the workers in urban areas earn just a few cents a day. In the garment industry, one of the most important industries for the national economy, workers make approximately $132 a month, with no guarantee of a minimum wage (ABC News, 2019). According to the World Bank, among the labour-force population in urban areas, 28 percent of the women and 19 percent of the men are illiterate (World Bank, 2018). This states the difficulty of access to work for women.
In addition, the country faces the challenges of the Rohingya refugee crisis, the disastrous consequences of climate change, the gender violence, child marriage, the criminalization of homosexuality, and religious
1
conflicts. Since August 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar (UNHCR, 2021). Nevertheless, the Rohingyas continue to face discrimination in Bangladesh. They are not allowed to work or move freely and thus, face economic inequality and security issues (Centre for Global Development, 2021).
Journalists and activists in Bangladesh also frequently face physical attacks or imprisonment for reporting material that is often found to be ‘false’ or ‘defamatory’ (GOV.UK, 2021). Besides, enforced disappearances, unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents are significant violations in the country.
✨ AI summary
Bangladesh, officially the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, is a country located in South Asia. With a population of over 163.1 million (DESA, 2019), Bangladesh is the eighth most populous country in the world (Visual Capitalist, 2020). Dhaka is the capital and the largest city of Bangladesh, as well as the economic, cultural, and political centre of the country. The political system of Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy,
with the Constitution providing the Parliament and the Prime Minister with substantial powers. Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister after winning her third consecutive term. However, the country still faces accusations of constant irregularities in its electoral process.
In Bangladesh, over 98 percent of the population are Bengali, and the remaining two percent are identified as Indigenous ethnic groups and migrants. Approximately 89 percent of the population is Muslim, while ten percent are Hindu. The remainder of the religious citizens are constituted by Christians and Buddhists. Islam remains the State religion since 1988, despite the ruling of the Supreme Court which reaffirmed that the State should be secular (Hashmi and Arshi, 2011). The official language of Bangladesh is Bengali, however, there are five other regional languages, and over 30 languages are spoken in the country.
The country has long been known for its extreme poverty. Asignificant part of the inhabitants are small farmers, who struggle to make a living with small plots of land. Many of the workers in urban areas earn just a few cents a day. In the garment industry, one of the most important industries for the national economy, workers make approximately $132 a month, with no guarantee of a minimum wage (ABC News, 2019). According to the World Bank, among the labour-force population in urban areas, 28 percent of the women and 19 percent of the men are illiterate (World Bank, 2018). This states the difficulty of access to work for women.
In addition, the country faces the challenges of the Rohingya refugee crisis, the disastrous consequences of climate change, the gender violence, child marriage, the criminalization of homosexuality, and religious
1
conflicts. Since August 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar (UNHCR, 2021). Nevertheless, the Rohingyas continue to face discrimination in Bangladesh. They are not allowed to work or move freely and thus, face economic inequality and security issues (Centre for Global Development, 2021).
Journalists and activists in Bangladesh also frequently face physical attacks or imprisonment for reporting material that is often found to be ‘false’ or ‘defamatory’ (GOV.UK, 2021). Besides, enforced disappearances, unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents are significant violations in the country.
with the Constitution providing the Parliament and the Prime Minister with substantial powers. Sheikh Hasina is the current Prime Minister after winning her third consecutive term. However, the country still faces accusations of constant irregularities in its electoral process.
In Bangladesh, over 98 percent of the population are Bengali, and the remaining two percent are identified as Indigenous ethnic groups and migrants. Approximately 89 percent of the population is Muslim, while ten percent are Hindu. The remainder of the religious citizens are constituted by Christians and Buddhists. Islam remains the State religion since 1988, despite the ruling of the Supreme Court which reaffirmed that the State should be secular (Hashmi and Arshi, 2011). The official language of Bangladesh is Bengali, however, there are five other regional languages, and over 30 languages are spoken in the country.
The country has long been known for its extreme poverty. Asignificant part of the inhabitants are small farmers, who struggle to make a living with small plots of land. Many of the workers in urban areas earn just a few cents a day. In the garment industry, one of the most important industries for the national economy, workers make approximately $132 a month, with no guarantee of a minimum wage (ABC News, 2019). According to the World Bank, among the labour-force population in urban areas, 28 percent of the women and 19 percent of the men are illiterate (World Bank, 2018). This states the difficulty of access to work for women.
In addition, the country faces the challenges of the Rohingya refugee crisis, the disastrous consequences of climate change, the gender violence, child marriage, the criminalization of homosexuality, and religious
1
conflicts. Since August 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar (UNHCR, 2021). Nevertheless, the Rohingyas continue to face discrimination in Bangladesh. They are not allowed to work or move freely and thus, face economic inequality and security issues (Centre for Global Development, 2021).
Journalists and activists in Bangladesh also frequently face physical attacks or imprisonment for reporting material that is often found to be ‘false’ or ‘defamatory’ (GOV.UK, 2021). Besides, enforced disappearances, unlawful or arbitrary killings, including extrajudicial killings by the government or its agents are significant violations in the country.
Share this report
Facebook
X
LinkedIn
WhatsApp
