Joint NGO Alternative Report on Bangladesh to the United Nations Human Rights Committee 119th Session to be held 6-29 March 2017

The human rights situation in Bangladesh is far from being satisfactory. With over one third of girls married by the age of 15, Bangladesh has the highest rate of child marriage of girls under the age of 15 in the world. Both dowry practice and gender-based violence, including sexual harassment, remain deeply rooted in Bangladeshi society and continue to result in the abuse and death of women each year without adequate protection by State authorities. From May 2013 to December 2016, Odhikar documented 727 cases of alleged extra-judicial killings by law enforcement agency; 232 persons were forcibly disappeared after having allegedly been picked up. Despite repeated pledges by the government, numerous murders of bloggers and activists have been systematically ignored. Read full report: Bangladesh Joint Report to UN CCPR