Page | 1 Editorial

Technical education for girls

Skills that will ensure employment

A study by Underprivileged Children's Education Programme (UCEP) has found that a

considerable number of girls are unaware of the prospects of technical education despite the
government's efforts to prioritise this skill-based education. In a country with a population as
large as ours, with the majority of citizens being young, providing jobs for them is a huge
challenge. This is why it is so important to invest in technical education that will provide
young people with skills that will help them get employed. There are various institutes
government and non government - offering such skills training but there seems to be a gender
gap in terms of enrolment. This highlights the stereotype in society that girls are not capable
of doing technical jobs such as carpentry, appliance service and repair, etc. But schools like
UCEP have proved that girls can be equally adept at learning these skills and use them to
work at jobs traditionally dominated by males. The survey has also found that family barriers,
early marriage, long distance of such schools and general lack of acceptance from society, act
as deterrents.

A BBS survey has found that women's participation in the workforce has fallen from 36
percent to 33 percent between 2010 and 2013. This could be attributed to a decline in job
opportunities for women. With better vocational skills girls and women will be in a position
to apply for jobs they would not have sought otherwise. The government can take initiatives
to make this kind of education more popular among girls and educate parents on its merits in
terms of better employment possibilities for their daughters.

Footpath eviction drive

There should be no let up

It is ironic to find that the latest drive by Dhaka City Corporation (North) to free up public
space in front of Bashundhara city market and Purnima cinema hall failed to produce any
tangible results. The occupiers, mostly small hawkers who ply their trade stored their
merchandise in nearby shops during the drive on March 8 and promptly came back to set up
shop on the same spot a merely 20 minutes after the drive ended. This is the general picture in
most footpath-clearing up drives. We understand that the Mayor has taken a tough stance
against such traders in other parts of the city where shops have been closed down and there is
talk of legal action against hawkers who illegally occupy footpaths.

The actions of the mayor are totally understandable and we support it. That it is necessary to
cleanup these illegal squatters so that people on foot may navigate the city in safety are of
utmost importance. As for the argument put forth by these small businesses that this is their
only means of livelihood, we sympathise with their plight. They too have mouths to feed and
it falls within the city corporation's responsibility to make arrangements for hawkers to set up
their makeshift shops in designated places in the city. One cannot forget that the city
corporation is acting in public interest and the body must get support from all agencies to
make these drives successful. Without concerted and coordinated efforts, any attempt to free
up public space for the greater good will inevitably fail.
International
Page | 2 women's day
Much remains to be achieved
The world has been celebrating International Women's Day since 1910 when it was launched
at the International Conference of Working Women in Copenhagen. The idea was to observe
a day globally to press for the demands of better wages, working conditions and other
facilities. And although March 8 has been celebrated by the United Nations since 1975,
women in our society have a long way to go before their rights are fully protected or even
recognised. Yes, there have been some notable achievements. We have seen women climb to
the top of public office, there has been an increase in women's participation the field of
entrepreneurship and the administrative cadres and women, in general, have become a
cornerstone of our labour force in the readymade garments industry.

And yet, women continue to face discrimination in the workplace where their contribution is
seldom recognised. Violence against women, which has often led to deaths, points to a
society that remains aloof to their rights as human beings. Women remain subject to fatwa
and shalish verdicts imposed by ignorant preachers and humiliated in public. Hence when we
talk about observing this day, we should take a look at the laws of the land which need to be
implemented to give women the rights that they are entitled to. Perhaps then, this day would
have true and proper meaning in Bangladesh where nearly half the population continues to
toil in an insecure environment, where their contribution to nation building remains
unrecognised and where they remain marginalised and vulnerable.

Assault on the Chief Justice

Enough is enough
The Chief Justice is far more than an individual. He is an institution, and of the three pillars
of the state, he represents one of the most important columns. His office is the last resort for
those who seek justice. His office is also the interpreter of the Constitution and is crucial in
establishing a society based on justice and rule of law. We are, therefore, aghast at the
blatantly hostile and direct assault on the Chief Justice that has been going on for the last few
days. Not only have his credentials been questioned, motives have also been imputed to him.

This we see nothing but an expression of no confidence on the Chief Justice and, by
implication, on the highest echelon of the judiciary itself. And such vitriolic comments are
bound to make the country's highest court of law controversial. If judgments are not passed
following legal procedures, only the rule of jungle prevails. This cannot augur well for the
government of the day. In this context, it is indeed unnerving that two senior ministers have
chosen to attack the Chief Justice. Even the Attorney General has not been spared of their
wrath.

Nobody is above the law. If there has been any breach of law by any quarter, the Constitution
provides avenues to seek redress of that situation. But nothing should be uttered that might
impinge on the work of the judiciary or question its independence.
WePage
want| 3an immediate stop to this unwarranted attack on the Chief Justice, because enough
has been said that has slighted the judiciary and denigrated its importance and stature.
Enough is enough. It must stop.

Vulnerability of minority communities

We are failing in our duty
If it is true that a nation's greatness is measured by how it treats its most vulnerable members,
we are very far from it. From a report published by a group representing the minority
communities, the Hindu-Boudhha-Christian Oikya Parishad, the picture we get of the state of
the three communities in the country is reprehensible, to say the least. 24 people belonging to
the minority communities have been murdered, 25 raped, and more than 1500 families
affected, in 2015 alone.

What is a matter of concern is that it is evident from the said report, which is a collection of
the accounts of minority persecution appearing in various newspapers, that they are not
victims of the law and order state that prevails in the country. In fact their marginalised
position in society has been exploited and they have been deliberately targeted as a
consequence of that. These communities have been victimised for their property, and there
have been cases of forced conversion too.

What is even more galling is that the main perpetrators, allegedly, are those that are linked
with the powerful and the political quarters. And this is one of the reasons why the police are
reluctant to take the complaints or the reports seriously.

Can we really call ourselves civilised if the minorities are made to suffer while the state fails
to take action to ensure their safety and security?

We suggest that the government take immediate cognizance of the report and initiate urgent
action to bring to book the perpetrators and make examples of them to restore the confidence
of these communities.

Taqi's murder
Ensure justice
Everything about the Taqi murder case screams of injustice, an injustice that is beginning to
question the credibility of the administration. Three long years have passed since the brutal
murder of Tanwir Muhammad Taqi, an ace student, without investigators pressing charges in
the case as yet, despite the huge attention it continues to receive from the media and the
people across the country.

The road to justice has not only been long but fraught with danger all along for Taqi's family.
Rafiur Rabbi, father of the slain teenager and renowned cultural activist is, reportedly, being
hounded by associates of the accused belonging to a powerful quarter in the area. A
prominent lawyer who has been advocating the trial of the killers had his office ransacked by
a group of men allegedly working for the same people.
It gets
Pageworse.
| 4 Investigators are now hinting at some changes in the draft of the investigation
report that identified the nephew of a local MP and ten of his associates in the murder. Rafiur
Rabbi, the father, had submitted a complaint to the SP of Narayanganj on March 18 in 2013,
accusing a number of people including a local politician and his son.

The administration should not believe that a crime like this will just fade into history. The
state is under legal obligation to provide the victim's family with security in the pursuit of
truth and justice. Legal process must not be tampered with to dilute the merit of the case.

Tenant identification information

Will that really curb crimes?
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police has asked all those living within the metropolitan area to
provide 'identification information' to them by March 15. While we appreciate the concern of
the DMP about the security of people, we wonder whether it has taken into cognizance the
apprehensions of the city dwellers regarding other risks inherent in the exercise, and also
whether it would actually help in curbing crimes, which is the purpose of the DMP for asking
for the data. The fiat raises several pertinent questions.

How will the police stations ensure safety of the documents and the loads of information
contained in those? And what is the need for another 'central database' when that is available
in the form of our national identity card? Why the duplication of effort? And more database
mean more chances of those falling in unwanted hands, and misuse.

What raises concern also is the fact that some of the information asked for in the police form
are seen as too intrusive. For example, one's telephone number is a personal matter and one is
not obliged to share it with everyone, particularly telephone numbers of female members of
one's family.

Last but not the least, has the DMP considered the huge logistics required, not to speak of the
time, to verify the information that will come to their hand? Without ascertaining the veracity
of each and every data in the form, it will be worth little. And to hold the landlord responsible
for the acts of the tenant is a rank bad idea.

Security we want, and that can be enhanced by good actionable intelligence, particularly
human intelligence.

Cops crushed to death

Ensure occupational safety of lawmen
The heart-rending scene of two cops crying over their colleagues' death has touched the
human within us. On March 3, a truck loaded with drugs ran over and killed two police
officers of Shibganj police station while they were patrolling Chapainawabganj-Sonamasjid
Land Port highway. We praise their bravery in chasing down criminals, and condole their
untimely death. The bereaved families should get adequate support from the government.
Exemplary punishment should be meted out to the criminals involved in this case.
This
Pageunfortunate
|5 incident also raises the important issue of protecting police from
occupational hazards which is fundamental to good operational policing. Due to the nature of
their job, law enforcers usually run a high risk of being attacked, wounded or even killed by
criminals. There is also an alarming trend of attack on police by extremist groups. It is high
time that the police authority takes adequate measures to reduce these risks. Special
protection efforts need to be designed around activities that pose the greatest safety risks such
as fighting extremists and other organised criminal groups. They need to update the safety
arrangements to keep pace with the ever-changing nature of dangers police face in their line
of duty. Another potentially productive avenue is creating safety awareness among the police
force. They need to be trained on occupational safety issues on a regular basis.

No school buildings for students for three years!

When will they be rebuilt?
It is a shame that students of nine government primary schools in Jhenidah are being
compelled to attend classes under the open skies or in makeshift huts, as their school
buildings were deemed too risky and abandoned three years ago. Our report states that after
the Rana Plaza collapse in April 2013, an inquiry team consisting of officials of LGED and
the Education Office, inspected schools in the district and served notices to nine at-risk
school buildings. It was a laudable and timely initiative, no doubt, to identify unsafe
buildings and save students' lives, but what we are at a loss to understand is why no attempts
have been made by the authorities since then to move the students to a safer location (i.e.
another building) or make renovations to the existing building to make it compliant with the
safety codes.

Three years is too long a time for students to make do with no building, and to study out in
the open or dilapidated provisional structures braving unfavourable weather conditions. It is
no surprise that the number of students in these schools is declining each year, with teachers
fearing that their schools will have to be shut down unless they are allotted a new building.

It is appalling that the elected representatives of the concerned upazilas have ignored this
pressing issue for so long. We urge the UNOs of the concerned upazilas, the MP of the
district and the education ministry to sanction new buildings for these students without any
bureaucratic delay. A safe physical space for students where they can concentrate on their
studies is the least we can guarantee for our future generation.

Construction workers must get recruitment cards

A first step to ending exploitation
The demand by rights activists that the government make it mandatory for employers to issue
recruitment cards to construction workers should be a wake up call to address the
exploitations in this sector. Being part of the informal sector, day labourers, who may number
up to about two million, are employed through middlemen and have no formal document that
recognises their recruitment. As a result they are deprived of basic rights such as standard
wages, being paid on time, payment of medical bills or compensation in case of accident and
other benefits. All this is left to the whims of the employers, leaving the workers totally
vulnerable.
These
Pageworkers
|6 often work in hazardous conditions without proper protective gear and
accidents and fatalities are common. We often see workers dangling from ropes outside high-
rise buildings for painting or cleaning jobs or labourers engaged in demolition and
construction work without wearing helmets or gloves. Labourers are also often required to
carry loads on their head that are far too heavy,sometimes resulting in severe injuries to the
neck and spine that may leave them paralysed for life.

All this highlights the utter neglect and callousness with which construction workers are
treated even though their labour is so crucial for their employers. It is high time that the
government enforces stringent rules on employers to make sure that their workers get paid
what is due to them and that they work under safe conditions. Making sure recruitment cards
to each and every construction worker can be the first step.

Vehicles on the wrong side

Stop the unlawful practice
Traffic rules are one of the most fundamental guidelines of any modern civilisation, which if
not followed will cause much of the city life to go awry, endangering lives, as is happening in
Dhaka. In fact in this city, it seems that traffic rules are more honoured in the breach. The
death of Joseph Barman, a 28-year-old school teacher, on Wednesday when the rickshaw he
was riding was hit by a bus driving on the wrong side of the road, points to this dangerous
habit. The bus was hired by the jute ministry and its driver thought nothing of zooming along
the wrong side to avoid the traffic. On February 22, Riazuddin Topu, a university student,
was similarly killed when a police-requisitioned van driving on the wrong side of the road,
collided with Topu's motorbike.

For long, we have been highlighting the dangers of this illegal practice. To start with there
were only a few flag cars of ministers, but soon other VIPs followed suit. And now any one
remotely connected with high ups do not have qualms in breaching the rule of driving on the
proper side, like the two above mentioned cases. And accidents are bound to happen and
people will get killed or suffer grievous injury if vehicles suddenly go on the wrong side. The
deaths of Joseph, Topu and many others, because some individuals think they are entitled to
break the rules with impunity, should move the relevant quarters take action to stop this
behaviour.

If this horrendous practice has to stop it should happen from the top. Not doing so means
putting more precious lives at risk.

Community clinics in crisis

Give them enough resources
Almost all of the 51 community clinics in Gaibandha Sadar upazila, with no physicians,
supportive staff and medicine, have become a microcosm of the broken healthcare system of
the country. According to a report published in this newspaper, some of them lack even basic
amenities like electricity and water.
That's
Pageno| 7way to run a healthcare facility. Why has the authority stopped supplying essential
drugs to patients who are now told to buy medicine from the market? Why have the
employees not been regularised under the revenue budget? How can the government expect
them to show up at work if they are not paid enough to make a living?

The idea of the community clinics across the country, established by the government in 2009,
was to bring health care to the doorstep of people. To a great extent, they did the job by
contributing significantly to the improvement of the overall antenatal and postnatal care
family planning and nutritional services, providing treatment for diarrhoea, pneumonia and
other childhood infections and counseling on the consequences of early marriage.

It is difficult to understand the logic behind setting up such people-friendly health complexes
around the country and then not monitoring and following up their performances. A number
of things need to be done to revive the community clinics that are often the only place where
people in remote areas can get some kind of healthcare. Doctors must be trained to work in
rural areas. And the government should offer incentives to those who do.

The reluctant election commission

Holding free and fair elections should be the priority
We are surprised to see that the election commission (EC) is yet to take any action on
allegations that many candidates were barred from filing nominations for the upcoming
Union Parishad elections. According to media reports, candidates, particularly BNP and
Awami League rebels, faced threats, intimidation and physical assault from ruling AL men
when they tried to file nominations. In his parliamentary speech on February 28, Workers
Party President and Civil Aviation Minister Rashed Khan Menon also alleged that his party
men have been subjected to similar impediments.

Ensuring submission of nominations by all the candidates is a prerequisite to holding fair

polls. The EC is entrusted primarily with this responsibility. Quite contrarily, the EC seems to
be indifferent to the alleged irregularities in the electoral process. The reason given by the EC
-- that if it starts addressing complaints by candidates it would not be able to maintain the
election schedule -- is unconvincing. We want to ask whether it is justified to hold a flawed
election just to maintain the election schedule. A questionable election will certainly put the
EC's credibility further at stake and hurt the grassroots democratic polity. We urge the EC to
take cognizance of the complaints and probe these as soon as possible. It should take
immediate actions if they are found to be true.

Counter-militancy efforts
Imams are a vital cog
A very important aspect of countering the onslaught of the militants in Bangladesh,
particularly the religious militants, is the active role of the imams of the three lakhs of the
country's mosques. The participation of the imams - half a million in number - and religious
scholars can offer an effective counter narrative to combat the extremists' efforts to garner
support for their cause and recruit fighters to their rank and file.
WePage
are, |therefore,
8 disappointed to find that the imams are not being fully utilised to that end
in the government's annual training programme targeting this group, as has been brought out
in a report appearing in this newspaper on March 2. Admittedly, the government is yet to
formulate a substantive counter-terror study. But as an outcome of the several studies carried
out as a preparatory exercise towards formulating an operational directive in this regard, the
government is fully convinced about the indispensability of the imams in the successful
campaign against the religious extremists.

However, it is apparent from the said report that what is perhaps missing is specific guidance
to the imams on the subject of extremism and firm instructions to them on the manner and
means of conducting the awareness drive against extremism and militancy, in their respective
communities. In this regard the help of the country's Ulamas should also be sought in
presenting a counter-narrative against the extremists.

It is quite possible that some of the imams could be psychologically well disposed towards
the extremists. We hope the government will make all efforts to include them in the training
process to expose to them the fallacy of their views.

Pirojpur in crisis
Make the water drinkable again
The people in half of Pirojpur district, according to a report in this paper on February 28, are
facing the worst crisis imaginable lack of safe drinking water. Water in most of the shallow
tubewells, the main source of water for most of the villagers, have harmful levels of iron and
many also have high deposits of arsenic. Meanwhile salinity has also made water in many
deep tubewells undrinkable. People of these areas, therefore, have the choice of either
drinking the water that contains harmful levels of these substances or from nearby ponds and
canals which are also full of pathogens.

The unacceptable levels of iron, arsenic and salinity in the water supplies, as found by the
public health department engineers, can cause serious damage to the lungs, kidneys, skin,
liver and may also cause cancer, heart disease and other life-threatening conditions.
Immediate steps, therefore, have to be taken to make water in tube wells shallow and deep
drinkable again. The concerned ministry must take measures on an emergency basis, to set
up a desalination water purification plant and other infrastructure that removes arsenic and
iron from the water. Rainwater harvesting measures may also be explored as one of the ways
to store drinkable water.

Not having access to safe drinking water is an unacceptable deprivation. The government has
been successful in many areas of the country to ensure potable water for people but there are
still other areas where access to pure water has become increasingly challenging. Pirojpur is
one of them and should now be made a major priority.

Freeing up parking spaces

City corporations must be firm
Dhaka
PageNorth
| 9 City Corporation has issued a one month period to all building owners who
must remove illegal structures that have sprung up in the underground spaces designated for
parking vehicles. We think this is a very good idea. Dhaka city has been facing the problem
of illegal parking on roads that adds more chaos to an already chaotic traffic situation in the
capital. Moreover, the move by both city corporations to remove commercial activities in
residential zones is a move in the right direction. According to the law, there is no room for
commercial establishments to be housed in residential areas, but the practice has been
allowed to go on for years. We would like to know why Rajdhani Unnayan Kattripokkho
(RAJUK) has allowed this illicit practice to prosper for so long.

Although the move is to be applauded, we find that due to several thousand injunctions and
court cases against the authority, its ability to take action against offenders is impeded. That
said something needs to be done to systematically zone the city into residential and
commercial areas. This is how things are done in other countries and it works well for
managing traffic movement in a city as large as ours. Obviously, there is graft involved that
allows for builders to get away with obtaining permits to construct commercial buildings in
the heart of residential areas. We hope the city fathers will be able to make headway in
tackling these pockets of corruption and clear not only parking spaces but parks, footpaths
and other public spaces that have been illegally occupied for decades.

Domestic violence continues unabated

Laws and society can end this
The horrific news from Rangpur of 27-year-old Tahmina Begum being doused by kerosene
and set on fire by her mother-in-law, leaving her with fifty percent burns on her body, gives a
glimpse of the extent of violence many women face in the country. According to family
members, Tahmina, a mother of two girls, was regularly tortured for dowry since her
marriage to her husband. Despite a Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Act (DV
Act) enacted in 2010, domestic violence continues, robbing thousands of women and girls
(who are married off before 18) of their physical and mental health, in many cases their lives.
A few weeks ago, Shampa Khatun, 25 was strangled to death by her husband and his family
members in Pabna for dowry and just yesterday a report in this daily reveals the murder of
20-year-old Nipa, again by her husband and in-laws.

It is clear that merely having laws is ineffectual without enforcement and change in societal
attitudes. There is an implicit tolerance of domestic violence in society because it is regarded
as a 'personal' or 'family affair' that discourages intervention. Parochial attitudes perpetuate
the idea that sometimes the wife needs to be physically 'disciplined' to make her more
compliant. All this discourages women from taking help of the law in fear of repercussions
from her assaulters. The state must take steps to ensure protection of women who file cases
against their abusive husbands and in-laws. This includes gender sensitive law enforcers, help
lines, crisis centres and shelters that will allow women to escape the violence and save their
own lives. Most of all those involved in such barbaric acts must be punished by law and not
allowed to go scot free as is often the case.

Children working in hazardous conditions

Elimination of child labour needs concentrated effort
WePage
are appalled
| 10 by the inhumane condition in which children are being forced to work in
different sweatshops across the capital. Boys and girls as young as 10 have to work with
grownups and are robbed off their month's earnings by the middlemen, as reported in this
paper yesterday. Even more egregious perhaps is the bonded labour like environment in
which they work for unacceptably long hours in conditions hazardous to their wellbeing.
Most of the factories where children work do not have proper safety measures making its
child workers vulnerable in case of any mishap. Also, many of them face torture and abuse.

No matter how tall the claims made are about reduction of poverty in the country, child
labour is a harsh reality. It is sheer poverty that forces over two million children to fend for
themselves at such a tender age. As a result, children are compelled to work under
exploitative conditions. There is no denying that extra policing of these establishments is
urgently needed, and the existing law against child labour should be strictly enforced.

Having said that, it is important to eliminate its causative factors. We believe that the
structural causes of child labour are multifaceted, and it is necessary to remove them to bring
every Bangladeshi child to the schoolroom. Poor students can be given stipends and free
meals as a measure to persuade parents to send their children to school. The Junior Secondary
curricula should incorporate vocational studies. Also, we suggest the formation of a
designated child labour body to monitor child rights abuses in these factories.

Cessation of Hostilities' in Syria

Give peace a chance
DESPITE the many questions swirling around the 'cessation of hostilities', brokered by the
US and Russia and backed by the UN Security Council, in Syria including whether a truce
will eventually take hold, the plan offers a glimmer of hope. The development in the five-
year-old war, that has seen more than a quarter of a million people killed, many more injured
and millions displaced, could forestall a looming humanitarian crisis for a half million
Syrians at risk of going hungry. And a truce allowing aid in besieged pockets of the country
could put off a second wave of refugees to spill into Turkey and on to Europe.

Still some way from a formal ceasefire, this may be the most realistic outcome diplomats
were able to secure given the complexity of the Syrian conflict. Simply put, the focus is now
on allowing humanitarian access to war ravaged cities and creating conditions for further
negotiations to take place without the persistence of war that has ground to a stalemate, with
the Assad regime, IS, an array of rebels and Kurdish fighters at each other's throat for years.

Time has come for Moscow and Tehran who, have bolstered the Assad regime, and the West,
Turkey and some Gulf States, who back the rebel groups, to come to the realisation that the
status quo is untenable for much longer. Peace can only be achieved by understanding among
all stakeholders, not by outside force.

The international community, building on the pause to the bloodshed, should now exhaust all
options to carve out a more formal ceasefire agreement.

Save us from the mosquito menace

Why the| lack
Page 11 of timely action?
ONE wonders why the government service providers, particularly those that are supposed to
provide the city dwellers with amenities and comfort, almost always fail to take appropriate
actions at the appropriate time to meet their obligation. We are told that the anti mosquito
drive of the Dhaka City South Corporation could not get off the ground due to lack of
chemicals.

The reason proffered is unconvincing When such operations are a regular yearly affair carried
out in a particular season of the year, every year, that the corporations should have fallen
short of the ingredient to work with, defies logic. When it is a matter of health of the people,
such excuse is lamentable and inexcusable. But lack of chemicals is one aspect of the issue.
How does one reconcile with the fact that most of the water bodies with stagnant water, and
that is where mosquitoes breed, have not been cleaned up as yet. By the own admission of a
responsible person in the Corporation, the cleaning drive by the corporation should have
started long ago. Why did it not?

We are happy to note that a crash drive has been launched by both the city corporations which
we hope will offer some relief to the city dwellers. But it will be our expectation that more
attention would be paid in future to the timely procurement of essential ingredients to fight a
menace which, if not contained timely, may assume serious epidemic proportions. Timely
actions by the relevant departments must be ensured and failure do so must be dealt with
severely.

Tragedy strikes family

Check gas connections regularly
We find it difficult to express our sorrow for the family of Shalin bin Nawaz who, along with
his wife, are fighting for their lives due to the fire caused by gas accumulation in the kitchen
at their apartment on February 26. Mr. Nawaz's two sons have died while a third is
convalescing in Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The couple are in a critical medical
condition. According to reports fire department officials have stated that there was a
possibility of a gas leak which led to an accumulation of gas in the kitchen that triggered the
explosion.

We will have to wait for the official inquiry to be concluded on what caused the explosion.
However, this should serve as a wakeup call for every apartment resident to regularly check
gas connections and for landlords to be more vigilant about maintenance. Authorities have a
duty to perform monthly checks on gas lines for perforations in the line, because at the end of
the day, utility authorities have a duty to make sure their lines are safe at the customer level.
There is of course also a question of raising public awareness regarding the safety measures
that should be adopted while using gas stoves such as making sure there is some form of
ventilation in kitchens and remembering to turn off the stove after use. For this the electronic
media need to be involved in disseminating information on how to maintain safety with gas
connections.

High dropout rate at secondary levels

Why aren't we intervening where it's most effective?
A report
Page | titled
12 'Bangladesh Education Statistics-2015', prepared by the Bangladesh Bureau of
Educational Information and Statistics (Banbeis), reveals some harsh truths about the
education sector of Bangladesh. As per information collected from 38,757 educational
institutions across the country last year, a whopping 40.29 percent of secondary students
(45.92 percent girls, 33.72 percent boys) dropped out last year, of whom 19.11 percent left
school when they were in Class VIII.

With children from poorer backgrounds expected to take on the financial burden of their
families as they grow up, it is hardly a surprise that many of them are leaving school around
the age of 15 to look for full-time work. It is also telling that more girls are dropping out of
school than boys, married off at the early age of 14-16. Poverty, as we know, is a major
impediment to completing education, and it is unfortunate that we have not been able to
ensure free education for our students, particularly at the secondary level. The lack of
standardised quality education and the need for students to turn to private tutors at the
secondary level to perform well in the exams mean that education becomes even more
inaccessible for students from poorer backgrounds. Meanwhile, schools make little to no
effort to identify at-risk students and allocate more time and energy towards motivating them.

We urge the government to put more emphasis on decreasing the dropout rate for students,
beginning with making education more accessible for poorer students. In addition, schools
need to channel more resources towards retaining students likely to dropout, with teachers not
only encouraging the students but also their families to enable them to complete their
education.
'Gunfight'
Page | 13 deaths
Bring down to zero
Yet another person has lost his life in what is described as a 'gunfight' between the Rapid
Action Battalion and the dead. The dead is an accused in the most gruesome murder of four
young boys in Bahubal upazila of Habiganj district on February 12.

The circumstances of the death of the accused, in a so called gunfight, raise several questions
in our mind, particularly because of the general impression created in the psyche of the
people since the very inception of the special force regarding 'crossfire' and 'gunfights'.

We are constrained to suggest that crossfire and gunfight killings have put a blot on Rab's
performance which is generally acknowledged as noteworthy, particularly in the matter of
internal security. If Bangladesh has earned international acclaim for its successful efforts in
combating the extremists and terrorists in the country, the greater part of the credit must duly
go to Rab for its performance in anticipating and neutralising these groups.

Admittedly, incidents of crossfire has reduced considerably, but when the victim happens to
be an important witness in a horrific and sensational murder case, it gives one the impression
that such killings are a way of circumventing the due legal process.

It should not be lost upon the security agencies that cross fire incidents have drawn
international attention and have become international issue. And one death is one too many,
especially those that occur under questionable circumstances. It would be our expectation that
Rab would devote all its efforts to bring down the number of 'cross fire' deaths to absolute
zero.

No place for people with disabilities?

Mahafuzar's story should be an eye-opener
The poignant story of Mahafuzar Rahman which appeared in this paper on Feb 25, ought to
move the conscience of the state, and impel it to take concrete steps to make state institutions
more inclusive of physically challenged persons. The 35-year-old from Lalmonirhat, who has
no use of his right hand since birth, has returned all his academic certificates to the
government, to express his frustration over not getting any government jobs despite
consistent efforts to make himself a productive member of the country.

In spite of the challenges dealt to him by fate, Mahafuzar secured first division in both SSC
and HSC exams, and graduated with a Master's degree from Rangpur Carmichael College
with a second class. Even with these qualifications, he could not get a job as a primary school
teacher.

Mahafuzar is one of countless talented and educated physically challenged persons in this
country who are denied the right to a dignified and constructive life, discriminated against at
every stage, by state and private institutions, and society at large. It is unfortunate that the 10
percent quota for people with disabilities continue to remain unfulfilled, while citizens like
Mahafuzar struggle in vain to access government jobs. The situation is arguably worse in the
private
Pagesector,
| 14 with employers failing to take affirmative action to include more of them in the
workforce and treating people with disabilities as burdens rather than as resources.

The call for a disabled-friendly workplace needs to be taken seriously by all concerned
stakeholders, and a comprehensive national action plan must be put in place to address the
institutional impediments that deny a considerable section of our populace the freedom to live
and work as they please.

Freeing Footpaths
Who will police the police?
That a few members of the police force are standing in the way of the eviction drives by
Dhaka South City Corporation, according to Mayor Sayeed Khokon, to free footpaths of
illegal occupation in Gulshan area, seems a measure of how things have gone out of hand.
The mayor had launched the laudable initiative in December last year with the objective of
clearing out street vendors in that area in 30 days.

That quite didn't work out the way it was envisioned, with footpaths being re-occupied by
vendors the same day they were evicted because of a few policemen, according to the mayor.

The well-made pavement free for pedestrians to walk on is a distant memory in this city.
According to several reports, more than 70 percent of the footpaths are occupied by different
kinds of vendors who eke out a living by selling all sorts merchandise.

How can the eviction drives of the city corporations be successful if the police do not
cooperate? Under what circumstances a mayor has to express his grievances at a programme
held at the National Press Club? How can the mayors be effective if they are not given
enough power and support to do their job?

At the same time it is well to remember that eviction drives, no matter how well-intentioned,
will not be productive without making arrangements for the rehabilitation of the hawkers.

Better treatment for crash victims

Action plan needs implementation
According to the World Health Organisation, 21,000 people die due to road accidents in
Bangladesh. We do not know for certain precisely how many more suffer serious injury. An
action plan has been finalised that brought together various stakeholders including the
government to identify the causes of such deaths. What has been brought to light is that many
fatalities could be avoided if in the immediate aftermath of an accident, emergency
medication and trained paramedics were available countrywide. Indeed, we find that crash
victims have to be transported all the way to Dhaka to receive emergency treatment and the
long distances involved often leads to victims succumbing to injury.

We hope the action plan that has been drafted will be put into action by June of the current
fiscal year. Post-crash care involves developing a new cadre of paramedics and the
establishment
Page | 15 of trauma centres across the country. It would require budgetary allocations
and a prioritisation at policy level to treat the matter with the seriousness it deserves. Such
measures are necessary to limit the severity of injuries, which at present cause either
disabilities or result in death for crash victims. And although efforts are underway to contain
accidents, they will happen nonetheless and initiatives need to be taken to mitigate the
sufferings of the injured. Health authorities in the country are not geared to provide
emergency medical service (EMS) for post-crash victims, and it is high time that provisions
are made to develop an EMS programme to be deployed nationwide.

Unfriendly workplaces for PWDs

Employers should overcome mental barriers
There are ample researches and reports that clearly show that people with disabilities (PWDs)
are not inefficient, rather our workplaces are poorly equipped to accommodate physically
challenged people. Generally, PWDs are dedicated to their work and waste very little time in
their workplace.

Lack of adequate transport, ramps, lifts and PWD friendly communication facilities hinders
PWDs' access to workplaces. Most importantly, it is the mindset of the employers that is
barring PWDs from getting decent jobs. Even the 10 percent quota reserved for PWDs
remains unfulfilled. Being unemployed, most of them have to sit idle at home that only
exacerbates their woes. If a PWD gets a decent job it contributes to the well-being of the
family as well as to the economy. So we should consider it not only as a social responsibility
but also an economic opportunity.

PWDs should be given the work they are comfortable with. The workplace should be
constructed following the global standards to facilitate their access. There are many PWD
friendly software and technologies, most of them are free, that need to be installed in the
workplaces. Both the government and non-government bodies have to invest more in this
regard. We should provide proper training to PWDs so that they can compete in the job
market. The employers need to be made aware of the fact that PWDs are not a burden but a
potential source of skilled workforce.

Japanese companies prefer Bangladesh

Tackle problem areas seriously
In its latest survey of Japanese companies operating in Asia and Oceania, Japan External
Trade Organisation (JETRO) took inputs from CEOs of more than 9,500 Japanese companies
in 20 countries over October and November, 2015. The results point to both favourable and
unfavourable conditions. On the positive side, we find that Bangladesh leads over Vietnam,
Sri Lanka, Thailand and Pakistan on cost factors and the country offers a far better wage
advantage than other Asian countries like China, India to name but a few. Business
confidence of Japanese firms scored a healthy 63.3 points pointing to a favourable business
performance in the current fiscal. With 67 per cent of respondents stating that they are likely
to expand their operations in Bangladesh over the next two years.
However, the country is perceived to be lagging behind in connectivity and problems with
Page | 16
worker productivity have been highlighted. Lack of free trade agreements between
Bangladesh and Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) is seen as a hurdle since
Japanese industry has a large footprint in ASEAN. Had there been such deals in place,
Bangladesh could look at serious Japanese investments for producing intermediary products
to be shipped to plants in ASEAN where the final products could come together.

We have our set of problems with regulatory issues where investment friendly policies have
been highlighted as a major hindrance to Japanese FDI. These are issues that can only be
addressed at policy level and doing so could open the gates for meaningful investments from
Asia's second largest economy.

Another avoidable death

Stop using the wrong side of the road
We are saddened by the untimely death of a young man riding a motorcycle which was hit by
a police-requisitioned vehicle in the Kakoli area of the capital on February 23. The police
vehicle, driving on the wrong side of the road, was making a u-turn and apparently hit the
motorcycle to avoid a speeding covered van, which happened to be travelling on the right
side of the road. It is not enough that the minibus hit the motorcycle and knocked over the
occupants, it literally ran over the victim in a bid to get away. And yes, the incident at Kakoli
is not the first of its kind.

Our heart goes out to the young man of 25 who has had to pay with his life in an accident that
could have been avoided. It is even more pathetic to see that the errant vehicle belonged to
the police who are supposed to be upholders of the law. Driving on the wrong side of the road
has become routine on the streets of Dhaka, with official vehicles, escorted or otherwise,
using the wrong side to beat the incessant traffic gridlock to get to their destinations.

We want that the vehicle driver be brought to book for the accident and wilful flouting of
rules. The police must stop errant drivers from operating their vehicles in an illegal manner.
But the police can hardly expect people to follow traffic rules if they are seen to violate the
rules themselves.

Women trafficked to Syria

Slave trade in the 21st century?
The stories of human sex trafficking from Bangladesh to Syria, as documented by a
prominent Bangla daily, are truly horrifying. From the statements of the victims and their
families as well as Rab informants, we are to gather that women and girls are being sold as
slaves in different cities of Syria for $3000 or less, after being tricked into believing that
they would get jobs as domestic workers in Lebanon. They are being forced to work and live
under unbearable conditions, with no means of protesting their plight or escaping their
confinement. We are alarmed that not only are women from Bangladesh being subjected to
insurmountable violence, but that their pleas for rescue are falling on deaf ears of the
authorities.
Last year,
Page | 17three women who had been sent back to Bangladesh due to illness, claimed that
there was an organised transnational network trafficking who were conducting this trade from
Bangladesh. Unfortunately, there seems to be a severe lack of coordination among different
government bodies to identify the agencies involved in the trade and to rescue the women
from Syria. With each institution pointing the finger towards another, and failing to take
action, more and more women are falling victims to this terrible trade, while those in
confinement are continuing to live under slave-like conditions.

We urge the concerned ministries to stop dilly-dallying on this matter and take urgent steps to
rescue the women from Syria, and if need be, seek help from international agencies. They
must waste no time in identifying the recruiting agencies who are conducting this trade and
bringing the perpetrators to book.