Monday, November 21st, 2011
Positive changes in sexual behaviour patterns of men, particularly the young, are crucial to a prevention of HIV/AIDS, said health experts yesterday.
Though males hugely contribute to the spread of sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV, the authorities do not put much effort into engaging them in a prevention of the diseases, observed the experts.
The focus is only on women's reproductive health, which is not enough. Therefore, they suggested, extensive studies should be conducted to find innovative ways to bring men under HIV prevention programmes.
The observations came at a roundtable titled "Men's involvement in the context of HIV prevention in Bangladesh", jointly ...
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Wednesday, June 15th, 2011
Bangladesh is recalling its ambassador to Japan AKM Majibur Rahman Bhuiyan, a senior foreign ministry official said yesterday amid media reports in Dhaka that he allegedly harassed a Japanese woman working at its Tokyo mission.
In a letter sent to the Tokyo mission yesterday, the government asked the ambassador to return home immediately and report to the foreign ministry, the official told The Daily Star, speaking on condition of anonymity.
"The government has recalled him following an unusual situation at the Bangladesh Embassy in Japan," said the official.
Foreign ministry officials said the ministry recently received several complaints against Majibur Rahman, including sexual ...
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Monday, February 14th, 2011
In the last two years the Supreme Court drew much attention for its role in ensuring justice in larger public interest on a wide range of issues.
From correcting the wrongful distortion of the country's liberation war history to righting the wrongs done to the nation's constitution, it boldly stepped forward to the rescue.
The highest court intervened whenever the executive branch of the state failed to stop illegal grabbing of land and rivers, violation of human rights, sexual harassment of women, and pollution of the environment.
Experts however observed that intervention by the highest court on dozens of such issues might not ...
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Thursday, December 30th, 2010
Rapid Action Battalion on Tuesday night arrested an alleged member of a gang that abducts and maims children, and then forces them into begging on streets or prostitution, just to take away the money from them.
Shariful Islam alias Korban was arrested from Uttara of the capital.
Earlier, he was accused in a case in connection with chopping off a young boy's penis on September 6 in Kamrangirchar, but was not arrested, as he was absconding.
At a media briefing yesterday, held at the Rab headquarters in Uttara, Rab Legal and Media Wing Director Commander M Sohail said the gang led by one ...
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Sunday, December 26th, 2010
The government has taken a host of decisions that include formulation of a policy and guidelines, and enactment of a law providing for up to seven years' imprisonment to prevent incidents of stalking in the country.
The Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, 2003 will be amended to ensure strict enforcement of it in fighting stalking. Moreover, steps will be taken for proper application of the ICT Act and Cyber Crime Act.
And to stop sexual harassment in educational institutions, a law will be made in consistence with different international laws and conventions.
The decisions were taken at an inter-ministerial meeting in the ...
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Monday, December 20th, 2010
Human trafficking and related crimes will be considered non-bailable and non-compoundable offence and tried in the speedy trial tribunals to be set up in all districts and metropolitan cities, says a draft anti-trafficking law.
The persons convicted of the crimes would be punished with a minimum of eight years rigorous imprisonment plus fines and a maximum of life sentence.
The proposed Human Trafficking (Prevention and Protection) Act-2011 also provides for setting up National Human Trafficking Prevention Authority (NHTPA) to pursue human trafficking cases and take measures to combat the crime.
The tribunals will take into cognisance the cases against government officials even if ...
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Thursday, November 11th, 2010
The state should enforce strict laws and wage a social movement against stalking of women while families must teach children social and moral values to stop the menace.
Stalking has turned into a deadly social disease like terrorism, speakers at a roundtable noted yesterday, stressing the need for using a term like “sexual harassment”, not eve teasing for stalking.
They also suggested increasing interaction between boys and girls by arranging social and cultural programmes and involving them in more extra curricular activities.
The roundtable titled “Social resistance against stalking” was organised by daily Prothom Alo at its office attended by a cross section ...
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Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Bangladesh should amend laws against money laundering to plug the loopholes that allow international transactions in drug trade, terror finance and corruption, says a global taskforce.
In a draft report to the government, Financial Action Task Force (FATF), the world's lone anti-money laundering organisation, has observed that Bangladesh is a transshipment point for illegal drugs bound for markets in Europe, the USA and Canada.
"Bangladesh faces significant risk of money laundering and some risk of terrorism financing," said the report handed over to the government on September 15.
Prepared by the FATF's Regional Review Group (RRG) to bring about some changes in the ...
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Sunday, August 1st, 2010
The Election Commission (EC) will decide whether to cancel registrations of religion-based political parties in the country, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed said yesterday.
“The Election Commission is a constitutional body and it'll uphold the supremacy of the constitution,” the minister told reporters after attending a national consultation meeting titled “Children Justice System in Bangladesh” in the city.
In reply to whether Jamaat-e-Islami's politics would be banned following the Supreme Court (SC) verdict on the fifth amendment, Shafique said the Election Commission as an independent body will decide which political parties it will allow to operate within the constitutional framework.
The fifth ...
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Wednesday, May 19th, 2010
An international arbitration court yesterday turned down US oil giant Chevron's age-old claim of around $240 million from Petrobangla.
Chevron had filed the case with the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) in March, 2006 saying Petrobangla has been illogically deducting over the years from Chevron's earnings from gas sales.
Even though Petrobangla claims the amount to be $70 million, Dr Kamal Hossain and Associates, which represented Bangladesh at the court, said the total would end up to be around $240 million.
After avoiding the arbitration for three years, Petrobangla last year went to the ICSID, a wing of World ...
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