From the outdated legal concepts under which cases of rape are tried in court, the “medical” tests that are required for proving rape, to the institutions which are supposed to stand by the survivor, it is not surprising that many women are scared or traumatised to even report incidents of sexual violence.

Female genital fistula is an important health concern for women in about fifty Asian and African nations. As the World Health

Most men in the Middle East do not believe in women's equality. This was what can be concluded from a recent survey conducted by UN Women. The 10,000 respondents who were questioned belonged to Morocco, Lebanon, Palestine and Egypt.

The recent boiler accident at Jamuna Auto Rice Mills, located in Gopalganj in Dinajpur district, which killed 18 workers and injured 10 others...

Poorer countries tend to be measurably more corrupt than richer countries. But the debate about this is still open.

Police has come up with a plea. Although one officer articulated it at the first ever 'welfare parade' attended by the Prime Minister of the State; there is little doubt that the senior leadership of the police, if not the institution as a whole, subscribes to the idea.

There is a new breed of fans in South Asia: fans of the Right to Information (RTI) laws in our region. These are passionate, almost fanatical, RTI activists.

For those, who feel compelled to point out that for now, we should put the word “alleged” before the word rapist, or question why the women waited more than a month before going to the police, please remember the society we live in.

The effect of sexual abuse on mental health is profound. The trauma of abuse during childhood leads the victim to direct their shame, despair and anger inwards, which gives rise to psychological distress in adolescence.

The Digital Revolution in the latter half of the 20th century ushered in the Information Age; a period in human history featuring four key innovations: personal computers, the internet, smartphones, and data.

Dam after dam gave in to the unseasonably early rainfall in the Haor area (a floodplain depression in the Northeastern region) of Bangladesh. Desperate farmers watched helplessly as the onrush of water submerged their crops right before harvest. Millions of Haor farmers lost all of their livelihood to incessant rainfall and flash floods in Sunamganj, Netrakona, Moulvibazar and other adjoining districts.

The fact that 13 women have been killed and 17 physically abused over dowry in Bangladesh in January and February of 2017 does little to rattle us. Neither do the figures of 107 deaths, five suicides, and 94 physical abuse victims in all of 2016.

It wasn't until 1972 that the term “informal sector” emerged in the development scene. Since then the phrase has continued to gain traction as a central theme in the development discourse.

Safety in workplace is a given for most of us. If you are reading this newspaper, there is a high likelihood that you don't have to worry about the walls crumbling around you or the floor collapsing right beneath your feet.

This year on May 1, Sammilito Garments Sramik Federation, along with other labour activists and union leaders, will hold a rally to mark the struggle that workers of our nation face,

The Rana Plaza collapse that killed around 1,100 people put western retailers at the brink of pulling out their business from Bangladesh.

"I am a good teacher, as I do not scold or punish my students. If they do not understand something then I explain it to them,” declared a four-year-old who was acting out the role of a “teacher”; the “students” were his parents.

On Friday, the news of the death of Romel Chakma at the hands of security forces spread like wildfire in social media. The subsequent reports surrounding his detention, death and cremation are puzzling, to say the least.

The Daily Star talks to three experts - a researcher, a labour activist and a development professional - about the progress Bangladesh has made and the challenges it still faces.

After the Rana Plaza tragedy, in July 2013, the government signed a plan of action on fire safety and structural integrity in the garment sector with the employers' and workers' organisations.