Bangladesh is a small and heavily populated country directly east of India. Bangladesh is home to almost three thousand residents per square mile, which is staggering relative to the United States which has yet to reach one hundred residents in the same category.
Recently in Bangladesh, female activists, a category of women only recently acknowledged, have pushed persistently to have the word “virgin” removed from marriage registration forms. Before August 27th, women were required to state whether or not they were a virgin on their registration form. This requirement has left women humiliated, and subsequently motivated to eliminate this question. This court ruling, approving of the removal of the word “virgin”, is significant because it promotes the advancement of women’s rights within the country.
Bangladesh, currently home to over a million Rohingya people, is acknowledging its two-year mark since the Rohingya crisis. This acknowledgment is a product of various rallies that are going on throughout the country. Just two years ago, these one million refugees were living in Myanmar, Bangladesh’s eastern neighbor. Following a violent protest by the Rohingya people, Myanmar militants burned, raped, and killed, villages of people, an act which UN investigators categorize as genocide. This led to one of the most significant migrations of the century. Known as the ‘boat people’ by media, almost seven hundred thousand Indo-Aryans immediately crossed the border into Bangladesh and have been living in refugee camps since. Recently, Bangladesh officials have stated that their stance on their refugees will harden. Bangladesh is experiencing a significant economic burden as a result of the Rohingya people and claims its policy towards the group will change. The Rohingya people, a Muslim group, faced immense discrimination in Myanmar, and Bangladesh alike. The minority group has had difficulties being served, getting jobs, and experience heavy discrimination day to day and online. These people claim Myanmar aimed to ethnically cleanse their country of Muslims. Myanmar denies this ‘ethnic cleansing’. The hostility surrounding this crisis has yet to wither.
Bangladesh is a deprived country. Its international rank is consistent with this. Bangladesh is hindered by poor infrastructure, corruption, weak rule of law, and an unstable regulatory environment. This significant and persistent instability prevents residents from succeeding in several ways, especially entrepreneurially. On the contrary, Bangladesh has experienced strong and consistent growth in the last twenty years. The economy has grown at almost seven percent for the last five years. The unemployment rate is low and the country has reduced barriers to investment, however, only half of the country is affiliated with a formal bank. Bangladesh strives to put itself in a position to succeed in a fast-moving world. Its economic and political reforms are promising and hope to offer opportunity to its residents.
Sources:
http://www.bbc.com/news/world/asia
https://www.heritage.org/index/country/bangladesh
https://www.thedailystar.net/newspaper
Globalization: Asia 