https://www.humantruth.info/bangladesh_human_rights_and_freedom.html
By Vexen Crabtree 2018
Bangladesh People's Republic of Bangladesh [Country Profile Page] | |
---|---|
Status | Independent State |
Social and Moral Index | 130th best |
Location | Asia |
Population | 161.4m1 |
Life Expectancy | 72.38yrs (2017)2 |
Bangladesh is amongst the worst places in the world at ensuring human rights and freedom, and it has severe cultural issues when it comes to tolerance and equality. Bangladesh does better than average in terms of its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice3 and in speed of uptake of HR treaties4. When it comes to most other metrics, Bangladesh does not do well. It does worse than average in terms of commentary in Human Rights Watch reports5, its nominal commitment to Human Rights6 (still good for Asia), opposing gender inequality7, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms8, supporting press freedom9, LGBT equality10 and in freethought11. And finally, it falls into the worst 20 in the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators)12. Women's rights and safety are both poorly protected and despite already having almost the highest rate of early marriage in the world13 it passed a law in 2017 removing the minimum age for marriage under "special circumstances"14. Bangladesh's "Export Processing Zones" have reduced legal controls on labour abuses and are below minimum international standards, with lots of serious abuse of factory workers13 in the name of creating cheap exports for multinational firms.
#equality #gender_equality #human_rights #morals #politics #prejudice #tolerance
Compared to Asia (2020)15 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank15 | |
1 | Hong Kong | 24.3 |
2 | Taiwan | 28.2 |
3 | Japan | 41.9 |
... | ||
31= | Indonesia | 111.0 |
32 | Uzbekistan | 111.1 |
33 | Bahrain | 112.7 |
34 | Bangladesh | 113.0 |
35 | Bhutan | 114.1 |
36 | Qatar | 119.2 |
37 | UAE | 119.8 |
38 | Oman | 121.3 |
39 | Turkmenistan | 122.4 |
Asia Avg | 99.9 | |
q=51. |
Human Rights, Equality & Tolerance (2020)15 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | Lower is better Avg Rank15 | |
1 | Sweden | 9.0 |
2 | Norway | 14.5 |
3 | Denmark | 14.5 |
... | ||
138= | Indonesia | 111.0 |
139 | Uzbekistan | 111.1 |
140 | Bahrain | 112.7 |
141 | Bangladesh | 113.0 |
142 | Egypt | 113.4 |
143 | Bhutan | 114.1 |
144 | Libya | 114.8 |
145 | Congo, (Brazzaville) | 115.0 |
World Avg | 87.9 | |
q=199. |
The best countries in the world at ensuring human rights, fostering equality and promoting tolerance, are Sweden, Norway and Denmark16. These countries are displaying the best traits that humanity has to offer. The worst countries are The Solomon Islands, Somalia and Tuvalu16.
The data sets used to calculate points for each country are statistics on commentary in Human Rights Watch reports, its nominal commitment to Human Rights, speed of uptake of HR treaties, supporting personal, civil & economic freedoms, supporting press freedom, eliminating modern slavery, opposing gender inequality, the rate of gender bias (from 7 indicators), the year from which women could participate in democracy, its success in fighting anti-semitic prejudice, LGBT equality and freethought. The regions with the best average results per country are Scandinavia, Baltic States and Europe16, whereas the worst are Melanesia, Micronesia and Australasia16.
For more, see:
“Authorities failed to hold security forces responsible for serious human rights violations including secret detentions, enforced disappearances, torture, and extrajudicial killings. [...] Civil society groups faced pressure from both state and non-state actors, including death threats and attacks from extremist groups, and escalating harassment and surveillance by security forces. In June 2017, Islamist leaders threatened to "break every bone" of Sultana Kamal, a prominent Bangladeshi lawyer and rights activist. [...]
Indigenous groups in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) have for decades faced discrimination, forced displacement, assaults, evictions, and destruction of property by both Bangladeshi security forces and Bengali settlers from the mainland. In June, Bengali rioters burned 100 indigenous homes in Longadu, reportedly while army and police looked on.”
"World Report 2018" by Human Rights Watch (2018)17
Human Rights Watch Comments Higher is better5 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 2017 Score5 | |
1= | UK | 9 |
1= | France | 9 |
1= | Germany | 9 |
... | ||
92 | Rwanda | -6 |
93= | Uzbekistan | -6 |
93= | Iraq | -6 |
93= | Bangladesh | -6 |
93= | Bosnia & Herzegovina | -6 |
93= | Jordan | -6 |
93= | Kazakhstan | -6 |
93= | Cuba | -6 |
Asia Avg | -5.0 | |
World Avg | -1.9 | |
q=123. |
Human Rights Watch comments concentrate mostly on negative issues, however, they also make positive comments for those countries that engage in human rights defence around the world, or who make improvements at home. By adding up positive and negative comments (including double-points for negatives that involve large scales and crimes against humanity), the Social and Moral Index turns HRW commentary into quantified values. Some countries may be unfairly penalized because HRW have not examined them, and, some countries "get away" with abuses if they manage to hide it, or if it goes unnoticed - a negative point has been given for those countries in which HRW specifically state that access to investigators has been barred. The points were limited to a minimum of -10 because there are some points at which things are so bad, with abuses affecting so many, it is difficult to be more specific about the depths of the issues.
Nominal Commitment to HR Higher is better6 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 2009 Treaties6 | |
1 | Argentina | 24 |
2= | Chile | 23 |
2= | Costa Rica | 23 |
... | ||
107 | Maldives | 15 |
108= | Andorra | 15 |
108= | Cape Verde | 15 |
108= | Bangladesh | 15 |
108= | Mozambique | 15 |
112 | Dominican Rep. | 14 |
113= | Kenya | 14 |
113= | Japan | 14 |
Asia Avg | 12.7 | |
World Avg | 15.1 | |
q=194. |
There are many international agreements on human rights, and, many mechanisms by which countries can be brought to account for their actions. Together, these have been the biggest historical movement in the fight against oppression and inhumanity. Or, putting it another way: these are rejected mostly by those who wish to oppress inhumanely. None of them are perfect and many people object to various components and wordings, but, no-one has come up with, and enforced, better methods of controlling the occasional desires that states and peoples have of causing angst for other states and peoples in a violent, unjust or inhumane way. Points are awarded for the number of human rights agreements ratified by the country, plus the acceptance of the petition mechanisms for disputes. The maximum possible score in 2009 was 24.
#human_rights #international_law #micronesia #politics #small_islands
HR Treaties Lag Lower is better4 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 2019 Avg Yrs/Treaty4 | |
1 | Ecuador | 2.15 |
2 | Uruguay | 2.25 |
3 | Tunisia | 3.65 |
... | ||
76 | Japan | 9.16 |
77 | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 9.17 |
78 | India | 9.18 |
79 | Bangladesh | 9.18 |
80 | Sierra Leone | 9.33 |
81 | China | 9.36 |
82 | Lesotho | 9.44 |
83 | Gabon | 9.47 |
Asia Avg | 10.97 | |
World Avg | 10.02 | |
q=195. |
Human Rights (HR) Treaties Lag is a count of how long it took each country to sign each of 11 key HR treaties. From the date of the first signatory of each treaty, all other countries have one point added to their score for each day they delayed in signing. Results are presented as average time in years to sign each one. The lower a country's score, the more enthusiastically it has taken on international Human Rights Treaties - which are, of course, minimal standards of good governance. The slowest are the countries of Micronesia, Melanesia, Australasia and Polynesia all lagged by over 12 years per treaty. The best regions are The Americas, Scandinavia and the Mediterranean.
For more, see:
Personal, Civil & Economic Freedom Lower is better8 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 2014 Rank8 | |
1 | Hong Kong | 1 |
2 | Switzerland | 2 |
3 | New Zealand | 3 |
... | ||
134 | Swaziland | 134 |
135 | Gabon | 135 |
136 | Togo | 136 |
137 | Bangladesh | 137 |
138 | Belize | 138 |
139 | Congo, (Brazzaville) | 139 |
140 | Nigeria | 140 |
141 | China | 141 |
Asia Avg | 94.6 | |
World Avg | 79.7 | |
q=159. |
The Human Freedom Index published by the Fraser Institute is...
“... a broad measure of human freedom, understood as the absence of coercive constraint. It uses 79 distinct indicators of personal and economic freedom in the following areas: Rule of Law, Security and Safety, Movement, Religion, Association, Assembly, and Civil Society, Expression, Relationships, Size of Government, Legal System and Property Rights, Access to Sound Money, Freedom to Trade Internationally, Regulation of Credit, Labor, and Business. [...]
The highest levels of freedom are in Western Europe, Northern Europe, and North America (Canada and the United States. The lowest levels are in the Middle East and North Africa, South Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa. [...]
Countries in the top quartile of freedom enjoy a significant higher per capita income ($37,147) [compared with] the least-free quartile [at] $8,700). The HFI finds a strong correlation between human freedom and democracy.”
"The Human Freedom Index" by The Fraser Institute (2016)18
#democracy #freedom #Freedom_of_Speech #Good_Governance #mass_media #politics #UK
Press Freedom Lower is better9 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 20139 | |
1 | Finland | 638 |
2 | Netherlands | 648 |
3 | Norway | 652 |
... | ||
140 | Oman | 4151 |
141 | Congo, DR | 4166 |
142 | Cambodia | 4181 |
143 | Bangladesh | 4201 |
144 | Malaysia | 4273 |
145 | Palestine | 4309 |
146 | Philippines | 4311 |
147 | Russia | 4342 |
Asia Avg | 4378 | |
World Avg | 3249 | |
q=178. |
The freedom to investigate, publish information, and have access to others' opinion is a fundamental part of today's information-driven world, and is linked with Freedom of Speech and Good Governance. Scores on the Press Freedom Index are calculated according to indicators including pluralism - the degree to which opinions are represented in the media, media independence of authorities, self-censorship, legislation, transparency and the infrastructure that supports news and information, and, the level of violence against journalists which includes lengths of imprisonments. The index "does not take direct account of the kind of political system but it is clear that democracies provide better protection for the freedom to produce and circulate accurate news and information than countries where human rights are flouted". The rankings are used as one of the datasets of the Social and Moral Development Index19
It must be noted that press freedom is not an indicator of press quality and the press itself can be abusive; the UK suffers in particular from a popular brand of nasty reporting that infuses several of its newspapers who are particularly prone to running destructive and often untrue campaigns against victims. The Press Freedom Index notes that "the index should in no way be taken as an indicator of the quality of the media in the countries concerned".
Throughout the country in 2017, "freedom of expression was severely limited as authorities used overly broad laws to stifle dissent or perceived criticism"17.
#burundi #eritrea #france #human_rights #indonesia #slavery
Slavery Lower is better20 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 2018 % Victims20 | |
1 | Japan | 0.03 |
2= | Canada | 0.05 |
2= | Taiwan | 0.05 |
... | ||
73 | Estonia | 0.36 |
74= | Mali | 0.36 |
75 | Hungary | 0.37 |
76= | Bangladesh | 0.37 |
77 | Cuba | 0.38 |
78= | Israel | 0.39 |
78= | Latvia | 0.39 |
80 | Dominican Rep. | 0.40 |
Asia Avg | 0.79 | |
World Avg | 0.65 | |
q=167. |
The taking of slaves has been an unwholesome feature of Human cultures since prehistory21. Private households and national endeavours have frequently been augmented with the use of slaves. The Egyptian and Roman empires both thrived on them for both purposes. Aside from labourers they are often abused sexually by their owners and their owners' friends22. The era of colonialism and the beginnings of globalisation changed nothing: the imprisonment and forced movements of labour continued to destroy many lives except that new justifications were invented based on Christian doctrine and the effort to convert non-Christians. By 1786 over 12 million slaves had been extracted from Africa and sent to colonial labour camps, with a truly atrocious condition of life23. But they were not the only ones to blame; in Africa internal nations such as the Asantes sold and bought tens of thousands of slaves24.
The abolition of the slave trade was a long and slow process. Until a relatively modern time, even philosophers, religious leaders and those concerned with ethics justified, or ignored, the problem of slavery25. The first abolitionists were always the slaves themselves. Their protests and rebellions caused the industry to become too expensive to continue. After that, it was the economic costs of maintain slave colonies that led the British to reject and then oppose the slave trade globally. Finally, the enlightenment-era thinkers of France encouraged moral and ethical thinking including the declaration of the inherent value of human life and human dignity26. A long-overdue wave of compassionate and conscientious movements swept across the West, eliminating public support for slavery, until the industries and churches that supported it had no choice but to back down.
'Modern slavery' includes forced labour (often of the under-age), debt bondage (especially generational), sexual slavery, chattel slavery and other forms of abuse, some of which can be surprisingly difficult to detect, but often target those fleeing from warzones and the vulnerable.27. Some industries (diamond, clothing, coal) from some countries (Burundi28, Eritrea28, Indonesia29) are a particular concern. The Walk Free Foundation, say that in 2016, 40.3 million people were living in modern slavery30.
For more, see:
"Export Processing Zones" in Bangladesh are not up to minimum international standards, and workers are attacked and threatened freely by factory officials, and in particular the Special Powers Act of 1974 is used to subjugate workers. "In response to protests in December 2016 by garment workers seeking higher wages, factory owners dismissed over 1,500 workers and authorities arrested 38 union leaders and workers on unsubstantiated criminal charges".31
Bangladesh is an unequal country, with male rights dominating those of women. Islamic beliefs are squarely to blame for this.
See:
Bangladesh has almost the highest rate of early marriage in the world13 and made this even worse in 2017 when a law was passed removing the minimum age for marriage under "special circumstances"14. Women's rights and safety are both poorly protected13.#gender #gender_equality #human_rights #misogyny #women
Gender Inequality Lower is better7 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 20157 | |
1 | Switzerland | 0.04 |
2 | Denmark | 0.04 |
3 | Netherlands | 0.04 |
... | ||
116 | Ethiopia | 0.50 |
117 | Guyana | 0.51 |
118 | Iran | 0.51 |
119 | Bangladesh | 0.52 |
120 | Senegal | 0.52 |
121 | Uganda | 0.52 |
122 | Sao Tome & Principe | 0.52 |
123 | Iraq | 0.53 |
Asia Avg | 0.36 | |
World Avg | 0.36 | |
q=159. |
The UN Human Development Reports include statistics on gender equality which take into account things like maternal mortality, access to political power (seats in parliament) and differences between male and female education rates. Gender inequality is not a necessary part of early human development. Although a separation of roles is almost universal due to different strengths between the genders, this does not have to mean that women are subdued, and, such patriarchalism is not universal in ancient history. Those cultures and peoples who shed, or never developed, the idea that mankind ought to dominate womankind, are better cultures and peoples than those who, even today, cling violently to those mores.
For more, see:
#gender #gender_equality #prejudice #women
Gender Biases Lower is better12 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 2022 %12 | |
1 | Sweden | 31.832 |
2 | New Zealand | 34.433 |
3 | Australia | 37.033 |
... | ||
75 | India | 99.132 |
76 | Rwanda | 99.132 |
77 | Myanmar (Burma) | 99.433 |
78 | Bangladesh | 99.433 |
79 | Mali | 99.534 |
80 | Philippines | 99.533 |
81 | Nigeria | 99.533 |
82 | Malaysia | 99.533 |
Asia Avg | 94.24 | |
World Avg | 83.93 | |
q=88. |
The Gender Social Norms Index (GSNI) looks at gender biases across seven criteria; the % given here is for the total people who are biased across any of those criteria. By subtracting the value from 100%, you can see that those who do well on this index, you are seeing a count of those who do not appear to be biased against women in any of the criteria, and so, doing well on this index is a very positive sign for any country.
The data was included in UN (2022) with full results in Annex table AS6.7.1; their data stems for ranges between 2005 and 2022, depending on the country in question.
#christianity #gender_equality #human_rights #politics #women
Year Women Can Vote Lower is better | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 0 Year | |
1 | New Zealand | 1893 |
2 | Australia | 1902 |
3 | Finland | 1906 |
... | ||
157= | Congo, DR | 1970 |
157= | Yemen | 1970 |
159 | Switzerland | 1971 |
160 | Bangladesh | 1972 |
161= | Bahrain | 1973 |
161= | San Marino | 1973 |
161= | Andorra | 1973 |
164 | Jordan | 1974 |
Asia Avg | 1907 | |
World Avg | 1930 | |
q=189. |
Women now have equal rights in the vast majority of countries across the world. Although academic literature oftens talks of when a country "grants women the right to vote", this enforces a backwards way of thinking. Women always had the right to vote, however, they were frequently denied that right. The opposition to women's ability to vote in equality with man was most consistently and powerfully opposed by the Catholic Church, other Christian organisations, Islamic authorities and some other religious and secular traditionalists.
For more, see:
#antisemitism #christianity #germany #indonesia #israel #jordan #judaism #laos #morocco #netherlands #pakistan #philippines #religion #religious_violence #saudi_arabia #spain #sweden #turkey #UK #vietnam
Anti-Semite Opinions Lower is better3 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 2014 %3 | |
1 | Laos | 0 |
2 | Philippines | 3 |
3 | Sweden | 4 |
... | ||
48= | Bolivia | 30 |
49 | Georgia | 32 |
50= | Kazakhstan | 32 |
50= | Bangladesh | 32 |
50= | Bosnia & Herzegovina | 32 |
50= | Costa Rica | 32 |
54 | Uruguay | 33 |
55= | Croatia | 33 |
Asia Avg | 48.2 | |
World Avg | 36.8 | |
q=101. |
Anti-Semitism is the world given to irrational racism against Jews. It is not the same as anti-Judaism (involving arguments against the religion) nor the same as anti-Zionism (arguments against Israel). In history, influential Christian theologians concocted the arguments against Jews that led, very early on, to widespread Christian action against Jews35,36,37,38. As Christianity rose to power in the West and presided over the Dark Ages, there were widespread violent outbursts against Jews of the most persistent and horrible kind. The Crusades were frequently aimed at them and the feared Spanish Inquisition paid Jews particular attention. The horror of the holocaust instigated by German Nazis in the 1940s was followed (finally) by the era of European human rights and a movement against racism in general.
The places that are the least anti-Semitical are a few countries of south-east Asia (Laos, the Philippines and Vietnam) and some of the secular liberal democracies of Europe (Sweden, the Netherlands and the UK). The worst countries for antisemitism are Islamic states of the Middle East39, which are undergoing their own Dark Age. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Morocco, Indonesia, Pakistan and Turkey see the most oppressive and violent actions towards Jews40,41. Jews in Muslim countries face a host of restrictions and "ceaseless humiliation and regular pogroms"42. In 2004 the European Union Monitoring Center on Racism and Xenophobia reported on violent anti-Jew crimes in the EU and found that that largest group of perpetrators were young Muslim males43.
For more, see:
#equality #homosexuality #human_rights #ICCPR #intolerance #sexuality #tolerance
LGBT Equality Higher is better10 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 2017 Score10 | |
1 | Netherlands | 103 |
2 | Belgium | 90 |
3 | Sweden | 86 |
... | ||
148= | Kenya | -14 |
149 | Singapore | -15 |
150= | Zambia | -15 |
151 | Bangladesh | -17 |
152= | Tanzania | -17 |
153 | Iran | -19 |
154= | Malaysia | -19 |
154= | Gambia | -19 |
Asia Avg | -02.1 | |
World Avg | 12.6 | |
q=196. |
Discrimination against Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) folk is rife across the world. Legal restrictions co-exist alongside social stigmatisation and physical violence44. LGBT tolerance and equal rights have been fought for country-by-country across the world, often against tightly entrenched cultural and religious opposition. Adult consensual sexual activity is a Human Right, protected by privacy laws45. Despite this, homosexual activity is outlawed in around 80 countries44. The Social & Moral LGBT Equality Index was created to compare countries and regions, granting points to each country for a variety of factors including how long gay sex has been criminalized and the extent of LGBT legal rights. Graded negative points are given for criminality of homosexuality, unequal ages of consent, legal punishments and for not signing international accords on LGBT tolerance. The signs in many developed countries are positive, and things are gradually improving. Europe is by far the least prejudiced region (Scandinavia in particular being exemplary). The Middle East and then Africa are the least morally developed, where cultural bias goes hand-in-hand with state intolerance, all too often including physical violence.
For more, see:
#europe #freedom_of_belief #freethought #human_rights #netherlands #religion #religious_tolerance #secularism #the_enlightenment
Freedom of Thought Lower is better11 | ||
---|---|---|
Pos. | 202111 | |
1= | Belgium | 1.0 |
1= | Netherlands | 1.0 |
1= | Taiwan | 1.0 |
... | ||
172 | Comoros | 4.3 |
173 | Eritrea | 4.5 |
174= | Egypt | 4.5 |
174= | Bangladesh | 4.5 |
174= | Bahrain | 4.5 |
174= | China | 4.5 |
174= | Qatar | 4.5 |
174= | Indonesia | 4.5 |
Asia Avg | 3.7 | |
World Avg | 3.0 | |
q=196. |
Freedom of Religion and Freedom of Belief are upheld in Article 18 the United Nation's Universal Declaration of Human Rights46. It affirms that it is a basic human right that all people are free to change their beliefs and religion as they wish47. No countries voted against this (although eight abstained). This right was first recognized clearly in the policies of religious toleration of the Netherlands and elsewhere in Europe in the post-enlightenment era48 of the 19th century. In democratic countries, freedom of belief and religion is now taken for granted49. In 2016 a study found that over 180 countries in the world had come to guarantee freedom of religion and belief50. The best countries at doing so are Taiwan, Belgium and The Netherlands11,51 and the worst: Afghanistan, N. Korea, Pakistan and Saudi Arabia11,52.
Long-term studies have shown that religious violence and persecution both decrease in cultures where religious freedom is guaranteed53. Despite this, there still are many who are strongly against freedom of belief47, including entire cultures and many individual communities of religious believers. Their alternative is that you are not free to believe what you want and they often state that you cannot change religion without being punished (often including the death penalty): this is bemoaned as one of the most dangerous elements of religion54 and "the denial of religious freedoms is inevitably intertwined with the denial of other freedoms"55 and the solution is, everywhere, to allow religious freedom and the freedom of belief.
For more, see: