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What the papers say

Youth and Farming

A weekly round up of articles about employment, the labor market, skills training and workforce development. This week’s round up is drawn from The Daily Star. Here is the news for the week ending 19th October, 2017.

This week in the Bangladesh English Press…

The fight against early marriage and the exploitation of women continues. Early marriages among village girls is still common. Activists, police and the Bangladeshi government  stop child marriages almost every day. The exploitation of women at work and home often goes unreported.

Agriculture in Bangladesh is a diverse enterprise. Some farmers and fishermen struggle while others thrive.

Early marriage and exploitation

Early marriage is still a challenging issue in Bangladesh. Women forced into early marriage are taking up the challenge in their own communities. A number of these women were received awards from BRAC, Acid Survivors Foundation, and the Australian High Commission on International Day of the Girl Child 2017.

We must encourage more brave women to speak out. And they must be supported by laws, legal proceedings, and public awareness campaigns. That’s how we can stop this harmful practice.

The marriage of a 13 year old girl was stopped by Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Shamsunnahar Swapna. Her parents were warned of  legal action if further marriage attempts were taken before the girl turns 18.

A  seven-member teenage group called Ghas Foring in Mymensingh fights against the prevention of child marriage. They were honored for their courageous effort. Just like India, Bangladesh also needs a law to work towards eradicating child marriage from the country.

Yet another early marriage of a 15 year old girl was prevented in Chittagong.

Harassment caused a 12 year old girl to commit suicide. Chandni wanted to become a doctor.

A female garment worker was found dead at her creditor’s home in Rangpur. She was the sole earner of her family. A debt of Tk 30,000 is said to be the cause of her death.

Exploitation at workplace caused garment workers to retaliate. Three female garment workers were allegedly beaten by their employer’s goons.

An international perception poll ranked Dhaka as the seventh worst mega city for women. Dhaka was also ranked fourth worst in terms of sexual violence and harassment against women.

Retaliation of farmers and fishermen

Small farmers in Manikganj suffered an economic loss as their crops were waterlogged. The closure of a culvert may have caused the flooding and the farmers want the culvert to be re-opened. The farmers are threatening to protest if this demand is not met.

Fishermen of Barisal are going against the government’s ban on catching Hilsha fish. Inadequate income is said to be the reason. The aid that the government gives them is insufficient  and does not reach most fishermen.

Crop cultivation in the Khoranadi river is a problem for the local fishermen. Local farmers have filled the river for farming. As a result, fishermen have not been able to fish for the last few years. This has affected their livelihood.

Malta cultivation is popular among farmers

Malta cultivation is bearing fruit for the local farmers in Baghaichhari upazila. The fruit was farmed on 54 hectares of land. Total production was 635 tonnes this year. Malta is a profitable crop. And favorable weather has been a great advantage.

Youth and agriculture

Five million kroner has been assigned by the Danish government to deal with future climate challenges in Dhaka. BRAC and the Copenhagen Consensus Center are doing extensive research on the issue.

With funding from DANIDA, a youth forums were held across Bangladesh. BRAC and the Copenhagen Consensus Center wish to hold more youth forums . The ideas and recommendations of young people will be considered in policy-making and development planning.

 

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