Citizens’ Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh on Sunday said a political will and citizen-based monitoring are required for proper enforcement of the proposed anti-discrimination law.
The platform arranged a media briefing to present the statements of the civil society persons, who were involved in raising public opinion for the formulation of the proposed law, said a release.
The Anti-Discrimination Bill 2022 was placed in Parliament on April 2 last to protect, uphold and ensure equal rights and dignity of all human beings.
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“Undoubtedly, this bill has been placed based on the basic articles of the Constitution. However, visible political will, efficient administration and monitoring by citizens are required for proper enforcement of this law,” said Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya, the Convenor of the Citizen's Platform for SDGs, Bangladesh.
He, in his introductory speech, also said the platform and its affiliates have been assisting the government in raising and drafting this law for a long time.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman, core group member of the platform and also TIB executive director, said the people with mental disabilities and acid burns, and caste discrimination should be incorporated in the structural definition of inequality.
Though the legal owners of land were mentioned in the bill, there is nothing in the law about the traditional owners of lands which means indigenous people, he said.
It is important to assess whether the law can be implemented through formation of an anti-discrimination commission, said Dr Iftekharuzzaman, also the TIB executive director.
Shaheen Anam, another core group member of the platform, congratulated the government for the placement of such a pro-people and women-friendly law.
Focusing on the long struggle for the enactment of law, she said, “Now our main goal is to see if this law reflects the public expectations.”
Shaheen Anam, also the Executive Director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, said a proper monitoring committee is needed for its enforcement.
Barrister Sara Hossain, Executive Director, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), praised the bill for focusing on all sorts of discriminations generally.
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She said different communities such as transgender, differently abled persons and minorities have reported discrimination against them at different times. “This attempt to centralise all forms of discrimination in a single law generally here is undoubtedly commendable,” she added.
Dr Faustina Pereira, senior fellow of the center for peace and justice, and professor at BRAC University, said the scope for getting remedies should be wider. It is not clear that what would be remedy if a person faces more than one type of discrimination at a time, she said.
She thought that the State should take initiative on its own for the victims before a victim files a complaint.
Dr Shahdeen Malik, a Supreme Court lawyer, said though a monitoring committee is formed under such a law, in many cases such bodies do noy hold meetings, and the law is not properly enforced, he said.