2014 SHARE-NET International Dr. Shuchi Karim Project Reference
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2014 SHARE-NET International Dr. Shuchi Karim Project Reference: The Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); Location: Bangladesh (Final Report) [This is a document prepared for Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, for Bangladesh. The main Objective of this assignment is to identify strong partners and assess a SRHR agenda for the SRHR knowledge node in Bangladesh. ] Project Reference: Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); Location: Bangladesh; Consultant: Dr. Shuchi Karim 2 Project Reference: Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); Location: Bangladesh; Consultant: Dr. Shuchi Karim LIST OF ACRONYMS BAPSA Bangladesh Association for Preventive Septic Abortion BGMEA Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association BSWS Bandhu Social Welfare Society BLAST Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust CAMPE Campaign for Popular Education CEDAW Convention on all forms of Discrimination Against Women CSR Corporate Social Responsibility DGHS Directorate General of Health Services FPAB Family Planning Association of Bangladesh FSW Female Sex Workers GDI Gender Development Index GoB Government of Bangladesh HPNSDP Health, Population & Nutrition Sector Development Program HASAB HIV/AIDS and STD Alliance Bangladesh HIV Human Immunodeficiency Virus ICPD International Conference on Population and Development IDU Injecting Drug Users INGO International Non-Government Organization LGBTQ Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer MoE Ministry of Education MoWCA Ministry of Women and Children Affairs MoHFW Ministry of Health and Family Welfare NIPORT National Institute of Population Research and Training 3 Project Reference: Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); Location: Bangladesh; Consultant: Dr. Shuchi Karim RHSTEP Reproductive Health Services Training and Education Program RMG Ready Made Garments RTI Reproductive Tract Infection SGBV Sexual and Gender Based Violence SRHR Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights STD Sexually Transmitted Disease STI Sexually Transmitted Infection MR Menstrual Regulation MSM Men who have Sex with Men MSW Male Sex Workers NGO Non-Government Organization NICHE Netherlands Initiative for Capacity development in Higher Education Nuffic Netherlands Universities Foundation for International Cooperation UBR Unite for Body Rights UNDP United Nations Development Program UNFPA United Nations Population Fund VAW Violence Against Women 4 Project Reference: Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); Location: Bangladesh; Consultant: Dr. Shuchi Karim Table of Content Introduction 6 Section 1: SRHR Background, Bangladesh 7 Section 2: GO/NGO/INGO: Overview 12 2.1 Public Sector Involvement 12 2.2 Existing Alliances & Coalition on SRHR 15 2.3 NGO/INGO Overview 17 Section 3: Research Thematic areas and knowledge gaps 29 Section 4: Organizations that could be host for Share-Net, Bangladesh Knowledge Node 38 5 Project Reference: Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); Location: Bangladesh; Consultant: Dr. Shuchi Karim Agenda Setting Exercise for Share-net, Bangladesh Introduction: This is a document prepared for Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, for Bangladesh. The main Objective of this assignment is to identify strong partners and assess a SRHR agenda for the SRHR knowledge node in Bangladesh. The aims of the agenda setting exercise include: 1. To identify thematic areas and knowledge gaps that needs to be strengthened in the coming years in order to optimize the SRHR interventions, especially in the field of the 4 Dutch priority areas 2. To get an oversight of the organisations, networks and the policy context in the field of SRHR in the two countries 3. To describe the policy context of SRHR and the degree of interest of the government (different sectors) in pursuing an SRHR agenda 4. To identify potential organisations, networks or combination of organizations that could serve as a focal point for SRHR in the country The document is divided into 3 Sections. Section 1 presents SRHR Background in Bangladesh. Section 2 addresses objective number 2 and 3, i.e. gives an oversight of context, organizations/networks/alliances, policy etc. at both public and private sectors in Bangladesh. Section 3 presents the identified thematic areas and knowledge gaps in SRHR interventions; and Section 4 addresses objective number 4, i.e. presenting organizations that could serve as focal point for SRHR in Bangladesh. 6 Project Reference: Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); Location: Bangladesh; Consultant: Dr. Shuchi Karim Section 1: SRHR Background, Bangladesh Now we will have an overview or mapping of SRHR related work in Bangladesh undertaken by various stakeholder organizations, including NGO, INGO and the Government. The purpose is two-fold: a) to provide the reader with the vision, strategies and initiatives these development institutes and organizations currently working in the field of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender in Bangladesh; b) provide a context for identifying potential research themes under SRHR in Bangladesh. The section is divided into sub-sections of NGO/INGO: Overview; Public Sector Involvement; Existing Alliances & Coalition on SRHR and Gender; and Private Sector Involvement: Involvement of the Ready Made Garments Sector. But before starting with the oversight, it is important that we familiarise ourselves with the country context and current SRHR situation. Bangladesh is a developing and populous country of 160 million (predominantly Muslim) people and is quickly urbanizing. The Gross domestic product of Bangladesh grew with 6,1% in 2011 and poverty declined during the last decade by 1% per year. However, high levels of inequality persist: 50% of the people living on less than $1.25 per day and 81% on less than $2.00. Bangladesh is projected to have an estimated 220 million of population by 2050 (UNFPA 2014, BBS, 2014; Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2014, World Bank 2014, UNDP 2014 1. Bangladesh, like other South Asian countries, has a patriarchal society that dominates within both the private and public spheres of life to different degrees. From the household to the political realm (from local government to parliament) male domination is the dominant paradigm and includes controlling and/or influencing women’s labour, their sexuality, choice of marriage partner, access to labour and other markets and income/ and resources, personal ownership of asset etc. Women’s accesses to social, economic, political and legal institutions are mostly 1 UNFPA, 2014 http://unfpabgd.org/index.php?option=page&id=49&Itemid=4 http://www.bbs.gov.bd/Home.aspx Bertelsmann Stiftung, BTI 2014 — Bangladesh Country Report. Gütersloh: Bertelsmann Stiftung, 2014. http://www.worldbank.org/en/country/bangladesh/overview http://www.un-bd.org/bgd/ Bangladesh Country Report: GDP data and GDP forecasts http://www.gfmag.com/gdp-data-country-reports/321-bangladesh-gdp-country- report.html#axzz28cLo41Om 7 Project Reference: Share-Net International, the Knowledge Platform for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR); Location: Bangladesh; Consultant: Dr. Shuchi Karim mediated by men. Culturally, women are expected to be dependent on men throughout their lives. Despite women’s political leadership, gender equity is still a problematic issue. According to the UNDP Gender Development Index (GDI) of 2004, Bangladesh ranked 110 among 144 countries (which was an improvement of 13 places since 1999). Even though the gender gap is slowly narrowing and there has been improvement in the life expectancy of women, the country continues to have low levels of female representation in government, in decision-making positions and in ownership of assets. Bangladesh’s performance with regard to Millennium Development Goal 4, i.e. gender equity and women’s empowerment, remains mixed (UNDP 2004). Women have entered the labour market in millions, making their entry into public spaces more visible almost everywhere. Since the mid-1980s the size of the total labour force increased 1.6 times, averaging a growth rate of 3.6 per cent per annum. During this period the female labour force increased from 2.54 million to 10.02 million, implying an average growth rate of 16.7 per cent per annum, more than four times faster than the total labour force and more than six times faster than the male labour force (Mahmud 2003). The comparative position of women in the labour market in Bangladesh compared to that of men increased steadily during the period 1984-2000, whereas the percentage of males in the labour force declined. Perhaps the most remarkable characteristic of this increase is that entry into the labour market peaks for women in the 25-29 year age group (Rahman and Otobe 2005). All these statistics have caused what is now termed the ‘feminization of the workforce’ (Sultan 2010). Studies on women’s paid work by Siddiqui (2000), Kabeer (2001), Mahmud (2003), Kabeer and Mahmud (2004) etc. clearly show that women in Bangladesh were/are not pushed into the labour market because of worsening economic conditions only, but also because