“May I get some water?”
These were the first words the man uttered. He let out a few sobs as he stepped out of terminal two of Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport.
As of 2014 there are more than nine million Bangladeshi migrant workers abroad. These migrants are not only supporting their family at home but they are significantly boosting Bangladesh’s national GDP. Eight percent of the total GDP of 2014 was a direct contribution of migrant remittances.
Bangladesh is tackling multiple challenges at the moment – recovery from COVID-19, international instability, rapidly multiplying climatic impacts, an upcoming election – as well as meeting fiscal conditions imposed by global bodies such as the International Monetary Fund. What insights from the ground could help to ensure the effectiveness of national spending, especially for those who need it the most?
Violence against women and children is rising. Child marriage is rising. Child brides are at even higher risk of violence, putting girls across the world in danger. As the 16 days of activism against gender-based violence close for 2019, let all us pledge to build a better world for girls and women. Here is a snapshot of what BRAC is doing.
Bangladesh has four million child brides, the second-highest in the world. More than half of all married women now in their twenties were married before the age of 18. At BRAC, tackling this challenge is one of our highest priorities. Here is a snapshot of how we are trying to change the futures of girl children.
Khichuri is a popular all-day meal in most Bangladeshi homes. What does the cost of a plate of khichuri tell us about the changes in the affordability of food? Learn about the Khichuri Index, and how the pandemic is affecting Bangladesh’s economy.
The lockdown is ending in Bangladesh. The next two weeks offer a window of opportunity to manage the outbreak, with the right prioritisation. Read the latest about COVID-19 in Bangladesh.
Economic lockdowns and social distancing have turned COVID-19 from a public health crisis to a humanitarian disaster. BRAC has constructed a ‘Khichuri Index’ to understand the net impact of these changes on the food security of people who depend on daily wages.
Bangladesh is the fifth highest labour sending country in the world, but it is also among the top 10 countries from where people migrate across the Mediterranean Sea on boats. The country earns USD 15 billion a year in remittance, but that is a success story that comes at a high price.
Bangladesh country is in Tier 2 Watch List in the 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report of the US Department of State.
On the month of victory and International Migrants Day, we stand by our migrants working hard for a better life.
People stretched as far as I could see. Young, old and every age in between, all standing in lines for hours to receive food. What most shocked me was the number of children. There were just so many of them. So many hungry eyes.