Country Information and Guidance Bangladesh: Background information, including actors of protection, and internal relocation November 2014 Preface This document provides supporting guidance to Home Office decision makers on handling claims made by nationals/residents of – but is predominantly country of origin information (COI) about – Bangladesh. It must be read in conjunction with the subject-specific country information and guidance reports. Public versions of these documents are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bangladesh-country-information-and-guidance. Decision makers must consider claims on an individual basis, taking into account the case specific facts and all relevant evidence, including: the guidance contained with this document; the available COI; any applicable caselaw; and the Home Office casework guidance in relation to relevant policies. Within this instruction, links to specific guidance are those on the Home Office’s internal system. Public versions of these documents are available at https://www.gov.uk/immigration- operational-guidance/asylum-policy. Country Information The COI within this document has been compiled from a wide range of external information sources (usually) published in English. Consideration has been given to the relevance, reliability, accuracy, objectivity, currency, transparency and traceability of the information and wherever possible attempts have been made to corroborate the information used across independent sources, to ensure accuracy. All sources cited have been referenced in footnotes. It has been researched and presented with reference to the Common EU [European Union] Guidelines for Processing Country of Origin Information (COI), dated April 2008, and the European Asylum Support Office’s research guidelines, Country of Origin Information report methodology, dated July 2012. Feedback Our goal is to continuously improve the guidance and information we provide. Therefore, if you would like to comment on this document, please email: [email protected]. Independent Advisory Group on Country Information The Independent Advisory Group on Country Information (IAGCI) was set up in March 2009 by the Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration to make recommendations to him about the content of the Home Office‘s COI material. The IAGCI welcomes feedback on the Home Office‘s COI material. Information about the IAGCI‘s work and a list of the COI documents which have been reviewed by the IAGCI can be found on the Independent Chief Inspector‘s website at http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/country-information-reviews/ It is not the function of the IAGCI to endorse any Home Office material, procedures or policy. IAGCI may be contacted at: Independent Chief Inspector of Borders and Immigration, 5th Floor, Globe House, 89 Eccleston Square, London, SW1V 1PN. Email: [email protected] Website: http://icinspector.independent.gov.uk/country-information-reviews Page 2 of 30 Contents Section 1: Guidance 4 1.1 Summary of Issues 4 1.2 Consideration of Issues 4 1.3 Policy Summary 5 Section 2: Information 7 2.1 History 7 2.2 Economy 7 2.3 Geography and demography 7 2.4 Freedom of movement and internal relocation 8 2.5 Constitution 10 2.6 Political system 10 Legislature 11 2.7 Actors of protection 11 Security forces 11 Police 11 Armed forces 13 Effectiveness 13 Human rights violations and impunity 16 2.8 Rule of law and the judiciary 19 Organisation 19 Informal justice systems 20 Village courts and Salish 20 Independence 21 Fair trial 21 Juvenile justice 23 2.9 Corruption 24 2.10 Citizenship and nationality 26 2.11 Forged and fraudulently obtained documents 26 Annex A: Map of Bangladesh 28 Annex B: Caselaw 29 Page 3 of 30 Section 1: Guidance Updated: 28 November 2014 1.1 Summary of Issues ► Are those at risk able to seek effective protection? ► Are those at risk able to internally relocate within Bangladesh? Back to Contents 1.2 Consideration of Issues Are those at risk able to seek effective protection? 1.2.1 Whilst the country information suggests that there is a functioning criminal justice system, the effectiveness of the police is undermined by a lack of basic resources, including a lack of infrastructure, personnel, training and proper investigative equipment, inefficiency and endemic corruption. Despite measures to improve the police force and its service, through the Police Reform Programme, low wages, lack of education and poor working conditions contributed to a culture of corruption, and security forces commit serious abuses including torture to obtain confessions, enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings with impunity. There have also been reports that the police often failed to prevent societal violence or protect members of religious minorities, political opponents, and women. The judiciary is highly bureaucratic, overburdened with a huge backlog of pending cases, has a limited number of trained judges and lawyers, is costly, and is subject to bribery, interference and political pressure, particularly at lower levels. The traditional justice system, salish, may result in double victimization for women, as often they obtain little or no remedy for violations and may be subjected to beating, whipping and stoning following fatwa rulings that are commonly used to subordinate women by punishing behaviour that is deemed inappropriate or immoral. 1.2.2 In particular regard to women, the Country Guidance case SA (Divorced woman – illegitimate child) Bangladesh CG [2011] UKUT 00254(IAC), 13 July 2011, found that ‘women subjected to domestic violence may not be able to obtain an effective measure of state protection by reason of the fact that they are women and may be able to show a risk of serious harm for a Refugee Convention reason. Each case, however, must be determined on its own facts.’ 1.2.3 Decision makers must assess whether effective protection is available in relation to the particular circumstances and profile of the person. Any past persecution and past lack of effective protection may indicate that effective protection would not be available in the future. See also: Section 2: Information the Asylum Instruction on Considering Protection (Asylum) Claims and Assessing Credibility Back to Contents Page 4 of 30 Are those at risk able to internally relocate within Bangladesh? 1.2.4 Relocation to another area of Bangladesh may be viable depending on the nature of the threat from non state agents and the individual circumstances of the person, as long as it would not be unduly harsh to expect them to do so. 1.2.5 Bangladesh’s total land area is 130,168 sq km with an estimated population of 166,280,712. The law provides for freedom of movement within the country, except for the Chittagong Hills Tracts (CHT) and Cox’s Bazar, and these rights are generally respected in practice. Although there were no special controls with regards to the movement of women, their ability to move freely was often restricted. Many women in Bangladesh face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination and are prevented from fully enjoying their rights, including their rights to health and education. Violence against women is of serious concern across the country. Women, especially single women with no support network, are likely to be vulnerable and may be subjected to destitution if forced to internally relocate. 1.2.6 In the case of a divorced woman with an illegitimate child, the Country Guidance case SA found that: ‘The divorced mother of an illegitimate child without family support on return to Bangladesh would be likely to have to endure a significant degree of hardship but she may well be able to obtain employment in the garment trade and obtain some sort of accommodation, albeit of a low standard. Some degree of rudimentary state aid would be available to her and she would be able to enrol her child in a state school. If in need of urgent assistance she would be able to seek temporary accommodation in a woman’s shelter. The conditions which she would have to endure in re-establishing herself in Bangladesh would not as a general matter amount to persecution or a breach of her rights under article 3 of the ECHR. Each case, however, must be decided its own facts having regard to the particular circumstances and disabilities, if any, of the woman and the child concerned. Of course if such a woman were fleeing persecution in her own home area the test for internal relocation would be that of undue harshness and not a breach of her article 3 rights.’ 1.2.7 Careful consideration must be given to the relevance and reasonableness of internal relocation on a case by case basis taking full account of the individual circumstances of the particular person. Case workers need to consider the ability of the persecutor to pursue the person in the proposed site of relocation, and whether effective protection is available in that area. Decision makers will also need to consider the age, gender, health, ethnicity, religion, financial circumstances and support network of the person, as well as the security, human rights and socio-economic conditions in the proposed area of relocation, including their ability to sustain themselves. See also: Section 2: Information the Asylum Instruction(s) on Internal Relocation and, in the case of a female applicant, Gender Issues in the Asylum Claim Back to Contents 1.3 Policy Summary 1.3.1 Dependant on the particular circumstances and profile of the person, the ability to access effective protection from the state of Bangladesh may be limited due to a poorly resourced, overburdened, inefficient police force and endemic Page 5 of 30 corruption. Some members of the security forces reportedly commit serious abuses, including torture, with impunity and members of religious minorities, political opponents and women are often victims of these abuses. 1.3.2 Internal relocation to another area of Bangladesh may be an option, but will depend on the nature and origin of the threat as well as the personal circumstances of the person.