Bangladesh Archives

Essay on the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: Issues of Poverty in Bangladesh

Posted on December 16, 2024 | by Laureen

About 32% of the population in Bangladesh does not have the minimum amount of income required for a person to afford basic necessities, hence they would fall under the absolute poverty category (Imam, Islam & Hossin, 2017). There is also a further 19% of the population falls into extreme or chronic poverty (Imam, Islam & Hossin, 2017). However, Bangladesh continues to amaze with its incredible economic growth and development (Rajan, 2018). Despite this, half the population of the country continues to suffer from some type of poverty. The main contributors of this economic growth are the migrant workers, farmers and garment factories (Rajan, 2018), thus there are a fair amount of job opportunities, so what seems to be the problem? Why is a country flourishing economically, while half of their people are still stuck in poverty? Well, I believe it is due to inequality and discrimination inside workplaces, where either they are not given job opportunities due to their race, gender or religion (Islam, Sayeed & Hossain, 2017), or the fact that they are being paid less then the amount needed to live due to them having no other option (“Oxfam reaction to Savar Building Collapse”, 2013). This also leads to the problem of Bangladesh exploiting their works into poverty and the issue of Multi-dimensional poverty.

Bangladesh is a small South Asian country in-between India and Myanmar, previously a part of Pakistan, they had successfully gotten their independence on March 26th, 1971, after years of oppression and being seen as a blimp on the Pakistani population. (Rajan,2018). After their independence, things did not get much better as the country were struggling to find an identity socially, and politicians were fighting to gain power over the county (Rajan,2018). Years of political corruption and tragedy in the country has left the common people in a miserable state, where poverty has taken over their lives and the issue of multi-dimensional poverty comes into play. Poverty leads to many other negative side effects, such as not being able to afford health care or education which makes it hard for one to get a job, which may lead to them taking a risky job just to earn enough to eat a meal, this is called multi-dimensional poverty (Straus & Driscoll, 2019), and this is the nightmare which is considered a reality in Bangladesh. Bangladesh also face a problem with inequality and discrimination, in fact due to the political divide in Bangladesh, people even discriminate against people with different political view (Rajan, 2018).

Furthermore, in Bangladesh, women are seen as the inferior gender whose only responsibility should be caring for their husbands and looking after the homes, this mindset makes it very difficult for families with single mothers to make a living causing them to fall into poverty (Islam, Sayeed & Hossian, 2017). However, Bangladesh have tried to diminish these ways of thinking and discrimination in the past with little to no success, this is mainly due to the government’s disinterment in the matter (Islam, Sayeed & Hossian, 2017). Another study attributed the poverty problem to the poor urban development policy (Sydunnaher, Islam & Morshed, 2018), the policies do not address the poor education the people in rural areas are getting, hence leaving them unqualified to find a better job, which leads them to poverty as they barely make enough to live.

There is also a problem with people being human trafficked in Bangladesh and forced into work (Azad, 2018). Human trafficking is not only a serious problem in Bangladesh, but it seems ad if the government and the police turn a blind eye to them. It seems the high level of corruption in the government and police has caused the police to only focus on cases involving high-status people (Azad, 2018). Hence if a poor women’s daughter gets kidnapped, and if she does not have the funds to bribe the police into doing their job, then she would either must look for her herself or give up on finding her daughter completely. Human traffickers are very aware of the utter incompetence of the police when it comes to low-income or rural families hence, they mostly, if not only target them (Azad, 2018). They mostly target kids and they force them into work such as prostitution or housework (Azad, 2018), taking all the money they make and threatening them that they would kill them if they ran away (Azad, 2018). All these would strongly oppose the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Article 3 states that everyone has the right to live their own life in security and freedom (“Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, n.d), however, that doesn’t seem to be the case for the poor in Bangladesh, as they get stripped of their rights and they get their freedom taken away from them with no one helping them.. Also, a large number of people are willing to work for extremely low wages, it leads to them being exploited by many foreign businesses that are trying to cut costs (Rajan, 2018). This exploitation is one of the biggest problems Bangladesh is currently facing and a tragedy that befell Bangladesh on April 24th, 2013, brought this issue to light for all the world to see.

Since Bangladesh is known for it’s cheap labor and huge garment factories (Ranjan, 2018) many counties then to export their clothes from Bangladesh, but at what cost? The people working in these factories continue to get less then 40 US dollars a month, which is not enough to live a proper life in Bangladesh (“Oxfam reaction to Savar Building Collapse”, 2013) but also the unkept and unhygienic states of the places that they work. The best way to illustrate the cost is through a recent tragedy that befell Bangladesh, the Savar Building collapse, which showed the world just how bad the poverty situation in Bangladesh is. The saver building known as Rana Plaza held 5 garment factories, however, the condition of the building was anything but safe (Chowdhury, 2017). The building collapsed on April 24th, 2013 when more then 1100 workers met their untimely end (Chowdhury, 2017). But how does this tragedy reflect on Bangladesh’s poverty situation, after all it is just a building collapsing. Well, workers inside the building would reputedly report cracks on the walls that looked risky and awkward sounds that was a sign that something is not right, however no matter how many times they had reported these problems they were simply ignored (Chowdhury, 2017). They knew something terrible was going to happen but they couldn’t just quit their job, after all they were barely making ends meet, and finding another job with little to no education in Bangladesh might end up with these people having to beg on the streets (Chowdhury, 2017). Although the owner of the building knew about the state the building was in, he let the workers work there. Their lives meant nothing to him, as all he thought about was making money for himself and the workers just had to live with that reality (Chowdhury, 2017). But is that okay? Just because the people in Bangladesh have accepted their faith does that give the rich permission to exploit them. After all, according to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 5, states that no person should be exposed to undignified or inhumane treatment (“Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, n.d), so would this not be considered inhumane? After all, the owner of the building did not see their lives as valuable hence he put them at risk.

So, what are the government and non-governmental organizations doing about these inequalities? To put it simply, not much. Although efforts are being made to improve workers’ rights, without the help of the government it seems hopeless (Chowdhury, 2017). After the Savar building, the Rana Plaza collapsed it seems Bangladesh formed an alliance with foreign and local NGOs to monitor the factories so that something similar does not happen again (Chowdhury, 2017). However, this does not solve the heart of the problem, which is half the population that are in poverty being driven into dangerous work, so that they can make less then what is needed to live.

The Government of Bangladesh seems to spend most of their budget on getting children to attend schools (Ahmed, khondkar & Quisumbing), hence due to these heavy investments about 90% of children are enrolled in school (Ahmed, khondkar & Quisumbing). The Government accomplishes these great feet by giving incentives to the families that send their children to school in the form of agricultural goods such as wheat, however, only a certain selected number of households get this benefit as they are a part of a research program called the FFE program (Ahmed, khondkar & Quisumbing). Although this is great in getting children to go to school, it does not fix the issue of poverty, in fact it leaves the parents dependent on the children for they must attend school to get the benefit and it does not address what would happen after the child has graduated. It is implied that the child has better qualifications hence they should be able to find a better job however, that is not guaranteed as there is an increased amount of migrant workers, making a surplus of labor and not enough jobs (Rajan, 2018). In the end they would be forced to work for the minimum wage which would not be enough to survive, hence they would stay in poverty.

From my years of living there and getting an in-depth look at the labor market there, I would say the lack of education and training opportunities are what is driving poverty. Bangladesh seems to be stuck in a poverty trap, which means they would need outside assistance from other counties (Straus & Driscoll, 2019), and it seems after the Savar building collapse more countries are giving them more attention (Chowdhury, 2017). A study by Martin and Hulme (2003) has shown that better training programs are what benefit poor households most, since this gives them the skills required to go out and find better work. However, I believe the government needs to fund these programs more so that it can reach more people in rural areas. Furthermore, only providing unemployment benefits are not enough on their own, they tend to discourage some people from working, but combining it with training and education that can help a household gain a sustainable income on their own is what truly helps elevate a country out of poverty (Martin & Hume, 2003). However, these programs are costly, so government aid is necessary for their success (Martin & Hume, 2003). Thus, I believe in order to truly solve the issue of poverty in Bangladesh, the government and the NGOs need to come together to help the common people. Additionally, I believe Bangladesh should educate people on gender discrimination and the negative impacts it holds, which should diminish workplace inequality. Furthermore, Bangladesh has a lot of potential in improving its poverty situation due to the many smaller NGOs that lack the funds to monitor and evaluate their projects efficiently (Ahmed, khondkar & Quisumbing). They hold a wealth of knowledge and if the government spends a bit more of its budget funding these organizations, they may get better solutions to fix the poverty problem (Ahmed, khondkar & Quisumbing).

References

Azad, A. (2018). Recruitment of Migrant Workers in Bangladesh: Elements of Human Trafficking for Labor Exploitation. Journal of Human Trafficking, 5(2), 1-21.
Ahmed, A., Khondkar, M., & Quisumbing, A. (2011). Understanding the context of institutions and policy processes for selected anti-poverty interventions in Bangladesh. Journal of Development Effectiveness, 3(2), 175-192.
Chowdhury, R. (2017). The Rana Plaza disaster and the complicit behavior of elite NGOs. Organization, 24(6), 938-949.
Imam,F., Islam,A.,M., & Hossain, M. (2018). Factors affecting poverty in rural Bangladesh: An analysis using multilevel modeling. Journal of the Bangladesh Agricultural University, 16(1), 123-130.
Islam, D., Sayeed, J., & Hossain, N. (2017). On Determinants of Poverty and Inequality in Bangladesh. Journal of Poverty, 21(4), 352-371.
Matin, I., & Hulme, D. (2003). Programs for the Poorest: Learning from the IGVGD Program in Bangladesh. World Development, 31(3), 647-665.
Oxfam reaction to the Savar building collapse in Dhaka, Bangladesh. (2013, April 26). Retrieved from https://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/reactions/oxfam-reaction-savar-building-collapse-dhaka-bangladesh
Ranjan, A. (2018). Bangladesh: A political history since independence. Commonwealth & Comparative Politics, 56(1), 134-136.
Straus, S., & Driscoll, B. (2019). International Studies: Global Forces, Interactions, and Tensions. Los Angeles: Sage
Sydunnaher, S., Islam, K., & Morshed, M. (2018). The spatiality of a multidimensional poverty index: A case study of Khulna City, Bangladesh. GeoJournal, 1-14.
Universal Declaration of Human Rights. (n.d). Retrieved from https://www.un.org/en/universal-declaration-human-rights/

Negative Effects of Overpopulation in Dhaka and Tokyo

Posted on December 16, 2024 | by Laureen

Tokyo is the world’s most popular metropolitan area and the heart of the Japanese culture. Tokyo is the capital and financial city of Japan. Tokyo is a major transportation hub and world economic and industrial center. The population of Tokyo is a massive 14 million and a population density of 6,158 people per square kilometer. It located in Japan on the island of Honshu. Japan is on the east of the world surrounded by the Pacific Ocean and Sea of Japan. Some of the neighboring countries are South Korea and North Korea.

Dhaka is the capital city of Bangladesh. It is the largest city and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. It has a massive population of 20 million people and is said to be the largest growing megacity in the world in terms of population. The population density is 23,234 people per square kilometer. Bangladesh is located near India and Myanmar. It is also located near the Bay of Bengal.

As Tokyo is a city known world-wide with plenty of pull factors such as: better job opportunities and freedom there are some problems that come along with these situations. As more people from the world migrate to Tokyo there are plenty of environmental, economic and social issues that are being brought upon. According to a case study by Panmore Institute, overcrowding is a really big issues in Tokyo. Pedestrian lanes, roadways and many other public places are filled with an excess number of people. During rush hours times, the average number of people who hour travelling by train is around 80,000 people. The congestion factor is 191%, meaning that nearly twice as many people are carried on the train. The highest reported value was once 250% which means that every time the train shakes, people can’t hold onto a strap or a post and are sandwiched between each other. The average number of people in a square meter is 6 and the average distance between the people is 40cm. However, when the congestion factor is 250% then the average personal distance decreases to 35cm which is extremely close to the maximum practical density. Another major problem in Tokyo is the pollution and climate change in the city. Due to rapid population growth and industrialization, the city has become one of the most polluted cities. In the rush hours there are around 6000 trains each day using 1MW (megawatt) of power. Each MW of electricity burning natural gas is equal to 520kg of carbon dioxide. Therefore, assuming a train runs for 2 hours a day then it will be equivalent of emitting 6000 tons of carbon dioxide per day. The main cause for air pollution is Tokyo is all the industries and factories it has in the city. These factories emit many greenhouse gases which are harmful to the environment. Tokyo is a big producer for technology and automobiles so all the construction that is happening cause greenhouse gases which untimely impact the environment.

Although Dhaka is not as economically stable as Tokyo, they still face very similar challenges. Due to Dhaka’s staggering population of 20 million people, it faces overcrowding. Overpopulation is when a city’s population exceeds its capacity and can’t provide resources for all. Dhaka is a textbook example of overpopulation as the city can’t hold all the people. According to residents of Dhaka many of the times it is very hard to walk on the footpath of the street as there are many people living on the streets due to the high poverty rate and people also sell goods on the street. Another problem in Dhaka is that they’re a bad living condition and poor quality of life. There are many push factors in Dhaka as opposed to it pull factors. There is poor sanitation and lack of clean and accessible water. Thousands of people are dying due to waterborne disease. According to WHO and UNICEF, access to clear water in the urban area has gone from 88% to 85% imposing that the clean water supply is decreasing and they need to do something about it. Two thirds of the city sewage system is not treated and left into waterways and the ground resulting in the death of thousands of people including the death of 50,000 children because of waterborne disease like cholera, diarrhea, typhoid etc.

Some solutions Tokyo has taken to overcome the problem of overcrowding is by encouraging resident of the urban area to shift to the countryside. They have created campaigns to promote the countryside and persuade people to live there. The Japanese government is also paying 3 million yen (20,000 euros) to people who will shift out of the urban area to the countryside. Jiza Biz is a campaign launched to ease the overcrowding on trains during the morning rush hour. This campaign gives extra train in the morning hours before rush hour and people who avoid the rush hour get gifts and rewards. Policies that Japan have taken to reduce the amount of pollution in the cities are the 2009 New Growth Strategy, which is Japan’s official strategy for a more sustainable society. It describes how Japan is looking for a low-carbon economy and smart material measure. An OECD report also shows that Japan has taken conscious efforts to try reduce air emissions and waste generation.

In Dhaka solutions to a solution to overpopulation could be to increase jobs for women and making birth control products. In 1960 the fetidly rate was 6.7 and now in 2016 it has decreased all the way to 2.4. So, with the increase in birth control products Dhaka could decrease their fertility rate which would mean that in the long run the population will stop increasing at the same rate as it is now which would ultimately mean that the population is decreasing. As overpopulation means that not everyone gets a proper house the Bangladeshi government should make new multi stored building at cheap cost so that people can live in them and it would save space. They should replace all the slums for new building for people to live. To overcome the problem of poor air quality and poor sanitation due to the sewage system the government should have regular checks of the sewage system and clean them all so that in time of heavy rain (which is often in Dhaka) they will not overflow and cause any floods. To reduce the pollution, they have advised many citizens to stop using their cars and use cycle or public transport through the uses of advertisement and campaign. They have also found more eco-friendly and sustainable uses against brick kiln which are major reason of pollution in Bangladesh. 60% of brick kiln have been switched to sustainable energy sources.

In conclusion, both cities have been deeply affected by the increase in the world population. There have been some positive points such as cities can earn more money and each city keeps on growing. However, alongside the positives there are many negatives. In Tokyo, there have been problems such as overcrowding especially in the rush hours and the pollution due the hundreds of factories. These are some of the many factors which has made it difficult to live in the world biggest city. In Dhaka, overpopulation is a problem leading to people to live without a house and poor water sanitation causing number of diseases. Overall, the growth of the world population has made a big impact in all cities all around the world and it is necessary and urgent for people to find solution to overcome the problems that come with it.

The Peculiarities of Bangladeshi Freedom

Posted on December 16, 2024 | by Laureen

‘Freedom’ it’s not just a word that’s written on paper but it itself a whole different world that everyone thrives for to live in it. Where it’s like ‘Eutopia’; everyone dreams for it in real life to really exist but in reality it doesn’t exist. Where everybody should get the same privilege as it showed to the showcase in our country basing on different perspectives but reality is a bit different combining all the contexts and situations we have today. Along with all the aspects socially, religiously, psychologically our views along with the liberal thoughts is more important to bring justice, freedom, stability, liberal practice for eradicating the social taboos, as well as a proper reinforcement against the obstacles we have in our perspective and establishing a state where a balance must be maintained in between the obstacles we have and the prosperity we achieved; only then it can be stated as ‘Individual Freedom’ from the best possible way.

Freedom & Individual Freedom

Basically the core meaning what we are actually bearing in our society is not the same as the justified meaning of ‘Freedom’. And this also resides in between of the contradictions what we really are and what are our purposes behind all of the conditions those are relatively adjusting according to our present condition. In terms of ‘Individual Freedom’ what we actually believe in; those matters are the most clarified aspects along with the perceptions, conceptions, traditions that we are practicing. The right or power of an individual to express, act, think, speak, develop as per the minimum agenda on which anyone can deliver or practice their minimum rights can be stated as ‘Freedom’ as well as ‘Individual Freedom’.

But there is a big difference as per the broadest definitions those we follow as per the notions and the prevailing conceptions those we practice in our country. As a Bangladeshi knowing the basics of the ‘Freedom’ and thus to practice in the society is tough sometime as per the values we bear in ourselves and practice from generation to generation. It sounds bit different and difficult but it is the bitter truth that we all are seeing from time to time but we are not restricting or doing anything against it because of our mindset. And there comes the most important and significant chapter in our open book of social life the ‘Liberty’, ’Liberalism’ concepts; of these we all are well-known but there is a vast gap in between of knowing all these and practicing those, persuading others as well as ourselves to regain the premises that we never achieved fruitfully.

We all are giving away ourselves in the wave of ‘Modernization’ but actually we are stuck in the ‘Traditional’ aspects. And these two words have the most gigantic leap of trust as well as the misconception bearing in it. What is the value of being modern only physically or verbally; when our mind set still holds the conventional approach anyway. Where is the clarity that’s shown in our constitution but in the real context of our nation its nothing but a faded glimpse. According to the context that’s stated in the fundamental rights of our constitution; really are we practicing all those freedom rights individually or nationally like those are stated and prescribed in our own constitution. According to ‘Part iii’ of our constitution article 27- ‘Equality before law’; but is this really prevailing that all the people as an individual getting the same privilege on the law, of course it’s not. It’s like an open secret to everyone but no one really takes the step to raise voice against these perspectives. As per the article 39 we know about the ‘Freedom of thought, speech’. But it’s not the actual scenario of our country if we come to the aspect of individuals it’s even worse. Not only these aspects but also there are many other situations, contexts, conditions prevailing in our country but for those we don’t have an actual solution from any perspective without a shadow of doubt. But even though this very aspect that we don’t have the courage that we won’t talk, it’s not the matter. But we are afraid to think or express ourselves in this very way and that’s where we are lacking behind as a nation. Not only these two aspects those are discussed in the above but also there are many more aspects like this; those have many limitations and thus have no actual finishing in it. The heinous crime in my mind what always bothers me inside that is the ‘Child Labour’. What we have known from our own constitution; that as per the article-34: “Prohibition of forced labour”. That is all forms of forced labour is prohibited and if found with this guilt then there will be serious punishment. But what’s the actual scenario in our country; according to the survey conducted by Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2016, 3.45 million children are involved in this child labour and the age is in between 5-14 years. And from the very beginning it’s a very common scenario in our country. Let us assume all these children are not forced in the work but at least 2 million children are forced for sure, it may be for a cause that they have no parents or something for their need. We people always talk about our freedom, our nation with pride but many of us still don’t know the actual margin from where the counting starts.

National & Social Perspective

As a whole there are some issues basing on how we are actually living and thriving for our actual freedom in the context of our present situation it should be cleared in our thoughts. It’s not like we are not having our freedom or we are being suppressed but there are some aspects of liberalism that we should be practicing to nourish and express ourselves as a complete nation. There are diverse people in our country with many setbacks.

In our society we can see that there are many misconceptions arising which cause many obstacles in the path of freedom as well as on the individual aspects and also in the whole community. There are many questions above our mind set, system in which we are running, setbacks those we have, reasoning that’s not paid off all of these has no answer.

When our country is in the peak of development, GDP hits the landmark of 8.13% which is a record in the present fiscal year according to the report published on March 19,2019 in “The Daily Star” then why still we have misconception regarding ‘Feminism’ and ‘Gender Equality’. Then why there are misrepresentations on these issues where half of the population is women; why the people always make a generalization about feminist women that they are not proper in their behavior and also in other aspects.
Then in other aspect, why religious concepts still hampering other religion as we are a country where the Muslims are the majority. We all are talking about ‘Secularism’ even though we are not maintaining it anyway. Then why people still hate internally or restrict the inter-religious marriage in our society. Someone can love or choose to live with anyone from own religion or it can be other religion. But in our country this system is not supported and the people of the society hate this so much. It’s kind of a social taboo that’s prevailing successfully in our society. But as per the definition and terms of condition of individual freedom it seems to me, that this is not appropriate at all.
From another view, why sometimes racial aspects coming up in this 21st century where all these causing great hindrance to individual freedom.
Due to the aspect of freedom of thought, speech sometimes bloggers are considered among the atheists. But in reality this two has no connections in it. Many illogical representations converging to a point where the point is fluctuated and misrepresented. Everyone can write in social platforms, in webs, in blogs. But why their expression, point of view must be pointed as ‘Atheist’. In my opinion it’s not appropriate at all to make this generalization.
As a part of the society, still in our country ‘The Third Gender’ this word is not appropriate in my sense because they are also included in our community, so why they shouldn’t have the proper rights as we are getting from our nation. They also belong to our society. They must be given the same priority as we all are getting. They are transgender but they are also a part of our community as well as they should get their personal freedom in what aspects we got. It can be in the job sector and many more aspects obviously.
In other view, the indigenous people why they are apart from our rights properly even though it is stated in our constitution that they should get the same opportunities but in reality they are not getting their proper values. In every prospect they should get their individual freedom along with all the aspects as we are getting.
Even those who are really atheists, they are not that much comfortable to express themselves in their way in the society because they know it should affect their personal life as well as they will not be treated well by the people. Because even we are asking for secularism but in the reality the religious fundamentalists are so strong to have a great impact on the following community as per their explanation. Because people take those in a level of trust where influential people can misinterpret the religious aspects. And thus the individual freedom is being hindered.
In the broadest of prospects, if we see the LGBT community (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transgender) in the world how they are involved and expressing themselves and in our country this can’t be even expressed in thoughts. This is their fear and our society taboo what’s holding them back from their freedom of expression.
We all always talk about or see many activities regarding the ‘Women Empowerment’. But when it comes to the self-dependency many people from our society do not step forward in this regard. Even the female personalities those who talk about this aspect, they are awarded with a tag ‘Feminist’ in negative way. Even in our society sometimes feminists are call regarded as they are not secular, they are not religious. Such as: they don’t live in a way; what a normal women lives; how the normal women acts. But one thing for sure, equality in the gender doesn’t mean that you should be a non-secular personality or an atheist either way. Anyone can be in the female side as they work for their family, they believe in gender equality, they speak for women, even they are not an atheist or anything uncommon. We all have to accept this in this way. Obviously ‘Feminist’ is a positive word but our society representing it in way that we people sometime even don’t judge the actuality in the prospect.
If we see the section 57 of the ICT act which was controversial in many ways that it will hamper the right to express, the freedom of press and it can be misused by the people they want to do it. It was a tricky decision to split the provisions into four new sections, were as it was the same law that was just all together in section 57 and now it’s been renamed as ‘Digital Security Act-2018’.

Now if we look a bit critically to the structure of our society as well as our nation then we can easily see some deep lines those are drawn to differentiate those also can show what we really representing through our society in the way of hindrance most of the times in the individual freedom as well.

When all the above points converges together to a common point that’s the individual freedom where everyone’s right must be ensured thoroughly and as a Bangladeshi in my opinion with the perceptions and conditions we have to ensure that all the matters discussed above is basically means to me to have individual freedom in my opinion as a Bangladeshi. Where there are obstacles, hurdles we have to jump and cross.

Liberal Aspects & Individual Freedom

Emphasizing on individual freedom as a Bangladeshi the criteria where all the aspects resides in between our values, morals and the reality where we are floating that comes to some liberal principles; those must be present and practiced well with proper respect according to different contexts as well as diversely. The conceptions about the prevailing system with which we are living will not be the same after 20 years from now. And it was not also the same 20 years before. It will keep changing and along with the change we have to accept the minimum prospects of liberalism basing on various perspectives.

Some people say they are with ‘Radicalism’ but whole heartedly this is very complex at least in our present situation where it seems to me the basic difference where we are lacking behind.

Every aspect has own political value, social meaning, economic perspective and along with all these, liberalism and individual freedom is the icing on the top of a cake.

Gender equality and Feminism
Democracy
Racial equality
Freedom of speech and thought
Freedom of press
Freedom of association
Freedom of religion
Political views
Secularism
Traditionalism despite of modernization
Fundamental rights
Capitalistic society
Individual freedom(LGBT community, atheists, human rights, civil rights)

Generally we all see the side of the coin which others direct us to see. But always there are two sides of a coin; only a few can understand and tries to reflect those in our society. If on that very portion of people is biased in any contexts those are discussed above as the main principles of liberalism in my opinion, then it will be a disaster which will burst away our individual freedom as a Bangladeshi what we should have. And also misinterpretation and fluctuation will grasp our mind thus we all will set our mindset. But in my opinion we must have the sense to see the other side of the coin and thus judge others to regain what’s my freedom as an individual as a Bangladeshi.

Conclusion

As a Bangladeshi individual freedom is like an unborn child to me. We all have many expectations, desires with our freedom but actually many of us even don’t know the latent meanings behind and how to regain those. Before the birth of a child we even don’t know the exact shape of the baby but we dream; exactly in this aspect also we don’t know the shapes, outlines how to practice and regain our basic individual freedom which unfolds our desires but at least in this peak we can try to taste the core individual freedom to unleash our thoughts and practice liberalism to bring justice, prosperity, stability and freedom; this all means to me to have my individual freedom as a Bangladeshi.

Scope of YouTubing as a Profession in Bangladesh

Posted on December 15, 2024 | by Laureen

Introduction

YouTube is a platform where YouTubers share their videos and earn money. There are many countries where people are choosing YouTube as a career. But there are so many people who can’t think youtube can be a profession. They don’t know about it. Especially in Bangladesh, people can’t think about it. There are many YouTubers in Bangladesh. Bangladesh YouTubers are not choosing YouTubing as a career. Even they can’t think about it. There are many reasons behind this. In this research, we will try to find those reasons.

Keywords: scope, YouTubing, profession, Bangladesh, YouTube, career, full-time job, Youtubing as a career

Research Background & Significant

YouTube is an American video-sharing website headquartered in San Bruno, California (Wikipedia, 2019). Chad Hurley, Steve Chen, and Jawed Karim three former PayPal employees created YouTube in February 2005 (Wikipedia, 2019; GERMANY, OPEN SOURCE CENTER, 2010). In November 2006, google bought YouTube (Wikipedia, 2019; GERMANY, OPEN SOURCE CENTER, 2010). YouTube is the first and best option to build a career online. This is a 100% free platform. Anybody can earn money with YouTube and start a YouTube career. But there are some conditions. YouTubers need 4000 hours of watch time and 1000 subscribers in one year to start earning money from YouTube. There are many countries where people are choosing YouTubing as a career. Sweden, California, Hawaii, Belgium, Japan, India, etc. are some of them. PewDiePie, Logan Paul, and Dude Perfect are some top-rated full-time YouTubers. In 2018 they earned height amount of money. Logan Paul earned $14.5 Million, PewDiePie earned $15.5 Million and Dude Perfect earned $20 Million (Jakarta, 2018).

There are also many YouTubers in Bangladesh. They are doing very well. Some YouTubers are doing YouTubing as a part-time job, but they are not choosing it as a career. They choose youtubing from their passion. Some Bangladeshi top-rated YouTubers are Salman the brown Fish, Gaan Friendz, Bhai Brother LTD, Ajaira LTD, etc.

This research will help many unemployed peoples and also those YouTuber who did not know YouTube could be a profession. The rate of unemployed people will decrease by choosing YouTubing as a career. It also helps our country economically.

Literature Review

YouTube has evolved from a content-sharing website to a platform for creating user-generated content (Holland, 2016). YouTube has become part of the daily lives of teenagers (Westenberg, 2016). Teenagers feel more attracted to YouTubers than traditional TV celebrities (Westenberg, 2016). A YouTube video can create the illusion that an artist is a completely self-sufficient entity (Cayari, 2011). Nowadays influencer marketing is present on YouTube (Monge & Elorriaga, 2018). YouTube is a commercially oriented broadcast platform with the aim of generating economic value from uploaded content (Rapp, 2016). YouTubers used traditional media to strengthen their personal brand (Holland, 2016). Youtube doesn’t need any professional skills to become a successful Youtuber (Monge & Elorriaga, 2018).

Research Question

In what way do other countries’ YouTubers choose YouTubing as a full-time job?
What are the reasons Bangladeshi YouTubers are not choosing YouTubing as a profession?
What are the scopes?

Research Design and Methods

For this Research, we need to do interviews with some Bangladeshi top YouTubers and also some Bangladeshi new YouTubers. We will do interviews of top and new Bangladeshi YouTubers individually to get our questions answered. So, the research method is qualitative and the research approach is an In-depth Interview. For an interview, We will target those YouTubers from our experience. So, the Sampling Method is the non-probability method and the Sampling type is Judgmental or Purposive Sampling.

We need to analyze foreign countries’ full-time YouTubers’ videos to collect some information. So, the research method is qualitative and the research approach is Content analysis. As we get any videos of foreign countries’ full-time YouTubers, we will analyze those. So, the Sampling Method is a non-probability method and the Sampling type is Convenience sampling.

Overall, this research method is qualitative and the research approach is In-depth Interview and Content analysis. This research Sampling Method is a non-probability method and Sampling types are Judgmental or Purposive Sampling and Convenience sampling.

Budget

The approximate budget we need for the research is as follows:

Some Bangladeshi top YouTubers’ interviews cost will be around 100,000 BDT.
Some Bangladeshi new YouTubers’ interviews cost will be around 50,000 BDT.
A foreign country’s full-time YouTubers’ video analysis cost will be around 20,000 BDT.

Total Cost = (100,000 +50,000 +20,000) = 170,000 BDT.

As such, the approximate budget is set to be 170,000 BDT.

Timeframe

Researchers will do interviews of some Bangladeshi top YouTubers. It will take around 3 months.

Researchers also need to do interviews of some Bangladeshi new YouTubers. It will take around 3 months.

Researchers will analyze foreign countries’ full-time YouTubers’ videos. It will take around 2 months.

Then researchers will finalize the research project itself, connecting the finding, analyzing, and drawing conclusions. It will take around 1 month.

This research project’s approximate time is set to be 9 months.

References

Cayari, C. (2011, July 8). The YouTube Effect: How YouTube Has Provided New Ways to Consume, Create, and Share Music. International Journal of Education & the Arts. Retrieved August 11, 2019, from http://www.ijea.org/v12n6/
GERMANY, OPEN SOURCE CENTER. (2010, December 19). (U//FOUO) Open Source Center Social Broadcasting Platforms in Germany. Retrieved from Publicintelligence: https://publicintelligence.net/ufouo-open-source-center-social-broadcasting-platforms-in-germany/
Holland, M. (2016). How YouTube Developed into a Successful Platform for User-Generated Content. Elon Journal of Undergraduate Research in Communications, 07. Retrieved August 10, 2019, from https://www.elon.edu/u/academics/communications/journal/wp-content/uploads/sites/153/2017/06/06_Margaret_Holland.pdf
Jakarta. (2018, December 6). These YouTubers made more money than anyone else in 2018. Retrieved July 15, 2019, from THE JAKARTA POST: https://www.thejakartapost.com/life/2018/12/06/these-youtubers-made-more-money-than-anyone-else-in-2018.html
Monge, S., & Elorriaga, A. (2018, January). The professionalization of YouTubers: the case of Verdeliss and the brands. Revista Latina de Comunicacion Social. Retrieved August 16, 2019, from http://www.revistalatinacs.org/073paper/1244/03en.html
Rapp, F. G. (2016, October 26). Popularity markers on YouTube’s attention economy: the case of Bubzbeauty. Celebrity Studies, 8(2), 228-245. Retrieved August 18, 2019, from http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/19392397.2016.1242430
Westenberg, W. (2016, September 26). The influence of YouTubers on teenagers. UNIVERSITY OF TWENTE STUDENT THESES. Retrieved August 12, 2019, from http://purl.utwente.nl/essays/71094
Wikipedia . (2019). Wikipedia-YouTube. Retrieved July 2019, 15, from Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

Career Plan And Goals For Marine Environmental Expert

Posted on December 15, 2024 | by Laureen

I focus on establishing a career as a marine environmental expert. Thus, following returning, I intend to continue my job at the Department of Fisheries. This is a unique public organization to achieve my career goals, to work intimately with both government and development partners. Subsequent to going along with, I need to present my Individual Activity Plan (IAP) to the ministry with subtleties of my procured information and its applied territory.

As per the FAO report, Bangladesh is 3rd in inland fish production, 5th in aquaculture production, however, 11th in marine fish production. The report stated, in case of marine, our position is not satisfactory. We have a lack of expertise. We rely upon the foreign consultant to formulate and implement development project. Thus, this is a dire need to build up organizational capacity with respect to the purpose of my country’s development.

For the short-term, I will exchange my acquired knowledge with my colleagues through the Departmental Coordination Meeting (DCM) and workshop. To create awareness among the future policymakers, I will give a lecture in the “Foundation Training Course” for all cadres’ service at the Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre. I aim to use my skills in creating and developing policies, regulations, guidelines, projects and works plan that ensure sustainable development in the marine sector. Within two years subsequent to returning, I will be able to serve as a National Project Director (NPD) of the Bangladesh Government in my professional field. These activities finally create employment opportunities, poverty alleviation, environmental sustainability and economic progress of my country.

In the long-term, I want to see myself performing as a Director-General or Secretary level and holding an executive role of Bangladesh Government. As a Chevening Scholar, this position allows me to work more closely with the UK and Bangladesh government. After retirement from Civil Service, I want to become a Member of Parliament and hope to serve in Cabinet Division. I believe that will give me a bigger platform to work for my country.

To achieve my career goals, I will enhance cooperation with as many parties as possible, including government, ministry, and the local community. Furthermore, I will heighten collaboration with international parties as possible during my study in the UK. I believe that I can utilize this network to achieve my future plans.

Foreign aid department of the UK has funded in fish farming and aquaculture project in Bangladesh. The UK imports their shrimps from Bangladesh. Therefore, experts of the UK are working with government, industry and scientific officials from Bangladesh to tackle the major issue in the fisheries sector. Besides, the UK is the second-largest donor to the Rohingya refugee crisis and vulnerable host communities in Cox’s Bazar. As a civil servant, I can provide support for Bangladesh to achieve aquaculture and marine environmental sustainability significant focus on UK donation.

Blue Economy of Bangladesh: Opportunity for Sustainable Development

Posted on December 15, 2024 | by Laureen

Nowadays one of the most highlighted topics for Bangladesh is blue economy. Blue economy refers to the economic activity based on maritime resources. The blue economy is the sustainable use of ocean resources for economic growth, improve livelihoods, and jobs while preserving the health of ocean ecosystem (WB). Blue Economy was considered at the RIO+20 UNITED NATION conference on sustainable development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in June 2012. The sea is the best sources of energy utilization. Now many nations are trying to ensure the most extreme utilization of the sea. We have a goal of become a developed nation by 2041. It is called ‘VISSION 2041’. And our economy is based on Agriculture. It is not enough for a country for reaching this type of goal. If we want to fulfil our goal, we need to give focus on blue economy. My goal in this paper to bring the topic that how we can use the opportunity of blue economy for sustainable development. For achieving my goal, I want to organize my paper into three sections. First section I want to provide information about our maritime border. In second section I will provide the information why blue economy is important. In third section I will provide the sectors of blue economy what we can use for reaching our goal.

Ocean is a mystery for the people of Bangladesh. The waves, fish, ship, are the ornaments of the sea. We have maritime border with India and Myanmar. But we had no maritime boundary with them. For this reason, we couldn’t use our ocean properly. But recently, Bangladesh has picked up a large area in the Bay of Bengal through the settlement of sea debates with India and Myanmar. Maritime boundary is the division of the water surface of the planet into maritime areas of contribution that are defined through surrounding physical geography or by human geography. It is also called the borders of a maritime nation and is recognized by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS:1983). Bangladesh has achieved absolute sovereignty on vast maritime area, on overall, approximately 111,631 square kilometers was assigned to Bangladesh of the relevant area with Myanmar (approximately 171,832 square kilometers to Myanmar) (Zamal Fayaz, 2012), and 19,467 sq. kms to Bangladesh of 25,602 sq. kms with India (Ajker Bisso). This sea settlement has preferred Bangladesh with the extension of regional territory and Economic zone. The geographical zone involves more than 1,18,813 sq. km. of water including 200 nautical miles over the sizeable range. Now Bangladesh can claim to be a nation of blue economy.

Bangladesh is a small country with vast population. And we also have enough natural resources on land side. Like natural gas, Coal, etc. But we are losing our resources rapidly. We can’t find fish in our river. Rivers are all going to dead. We can’t find gas for home. We are using coal for increasing our supply of electricity. Not only in Bangladesh but also all over the world has been racked by food, oil, natural, economic and money related crisis. But Bangladesh can solve these problems. For solving those problems, we need to use properly our blue economy. A blue economy can bargain systemically with these difficulties. 70% of the world is secured by the sea and around 90% of the world’s exchange of products is directed via ocean. It is high time that Bangladesh set up to utilize the ocean assets and fitted its labor with learning and innovating to bring success to the country.

If we want to see our country as a developed country, we need to use our ocean properly. Our nation has won the massive maritime boundary. It has made a large scope to investigate mineral resources from the seabed without any obstacles. A great supply of living and non-living assets is available under the seabed and water section. We can see some potential sectors of blue economy for Bangladesh.

Tourism

Tourism is one of the most gainful sectors in Bangladesh. And sea-based tourism is very popular for our nation. We can make it our one of the most gainful business sectors. We have incredible chance for become a tourist-based country. We can make it by using our sea side. Furthermore, new one vital thing is the tourism-related administrations spread to similarly to what inaccessible to remote regions already.

Cox’s Bazar: It is the first candidate amongst the tourism destinations of Bangladesh. It was named by British East India company officer, Captain Hiram Cox (Wikipedia). It is considered as the largest sea beach of the world. This beach is unbroken 120 km sandy sea beach. Most popular points or beaches are Laboni beach, Sugondha beach, Inani beach. We can visit popular Himchori hill and see natural fount. And we have the biggest surprise which is Marine Drive. This is the largest marine drive in the world about 80 km. For this reason, at present, Cox’s Bazar is the most visited tourism place of Bangladesh.

Saint Martin: This is the only one coral island in Bangladesh. It has another name also, Narikel Jinjira, Daruchini Dip. Now this place has been a popular attraction of local and foreign tourists in Bangladesh. One can reach St Martin from Teknaf within few hours. The number of visitors is increasing year by year.

Kuakata: Kuakata is located in Kalapara upazila, Potuakhali district. It has an excellent view of sunrise and sunset from the same beach in the water of Bay of Bengal. This beach’s area is about 18 km. This sandy beach has gentle slope into Bay of Bengal. Many migratory birds come in Kuakata for staying. Because of poor transport facilities, this place has very few visitors. The government should take care of this.

Fisheries

Fisheries is a very significant issue for a country like Bangladesh where it has a large number of river and ocean. We are third highest fish production country in the world. Bangladesh with its inland waters and river systems has significant capture fishery and agriculture potential. This fisheries sector plays a very important role in the national economy contributing 3.69% to the GDP of the country and 22.60% to the agriculture GDP (FRSS, 2016). Fisheries can play bigger role in our GDP by using our sea. We have now large area of sea. Now we have an open door for catching fish. This area adds 450 types fish in our list. That is huge. We can earn money by exporting them. The amount takes the export earnings in the first seven months of fiscal 2017-18 to $353.99 million (Daily Star). Now we can increase the number more.

Natural Resources

On land side we have main natural resources are fish and gas. We talk about fish the previous paragraph. And we have a massive side about gas-oil block. On land area we have 23 blocks of gas-oil. And we are using this for our daily work. We are now losing their quantity. But sea brings us a big side about this. Ocean gives us 26 blocks of gas-oil. But we have a little problem. We have now 49 blocks of gas (Petrobangla). But we have no enough perfect people for recovering this gas. So, we can’t use them right now. But now we can get smile on our face. Because govt. gives importance on this sector. If we can get this, this can make new skyline for our country.

Shipping

Shipping is now going to be another successful business sector for Bangladesh. We have now very good rate in ship-building and ship-breaking sector. We can make our own warship from our shipyard. And last year we export ship. We have earned a lot of money. And also, we have done a flourishing movement in ship-breaking sector. We have now 3 shipyards, they are Anandya shipyard, Khulna shipyard, and Chattrogram shipyard. But we have many obstacles in this sector. If we can remove these problems, this sector can be a great business sector for us.

Conclusion

At this moment, Bangladesh needs to create more awareness about blue economy. Because sea or ocean which name is Bay of Bengal is ours. It’s water, fish, oil-gas block everything is ours. Many people’s life is directly related with ocean. If we can make awareness and can utilize this sector properly, this can change the life of Bangladeshi people. The blue economy can be one of the possible solutions for Bangladesh for achieving its goal. From analyses, we can see our sea production is increasing. It is a good sign for our country. But frequent flood is damaging the possibilities blue economy of Bangladesh. Without having well-trained, skilled, educated human resources in different marine industries, sustainable and dynamic blue economy can’t be possible for any country.

Government should take future policy frame work for the success of the blue economy which may focus structural collaboration. Capacity building of maritime forces, namely Bangladesh Navy and Bangladesh Coast Guard, are other prerequisites to ensure safer seas for the seafarers of tomorrow. Many bad persons are walking with us. From them, we need to protect our sea and blue economy.

References

Ajker Bisso: Golam Mostofa Kiron. 97 edition.
Daily Star. “January Export Earnings Highest in 5 Months”. Published April 5, 2019.
Fayaz Zamal, Sachalayatan.com, 28/3/2012. ‘Bangladesh Vs Myanmar Maritime Boundary Dispute, Verdict: A Brief Summary’. FRSS: Fast Response Survey System.
Petrobangla: https://www.petrobangla.org.bd/
UNCLOS: United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS): Official Text, United Nations, New York, 1983, p.17.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox%27s_Bazar

The Evolution Of White Collar Crime In Bangladesh

Posted on December 15, 2024 | by Laureen

White Collar crime generally encompasses a variety of non violent crimes that are usually committed in commercial situations for financial gain. They are generally committed by high ranking professionals, politicians or business people. These people often by virtue of their occupation, exploit social, economic or technological power for personal or financial gain. The scope of white collar crime includes cybercrime, healthcare fraud, intellectual property crimes, embezzlement, bribery, conspiracy, occlusion of justice, perjury, money laundering, antitrust violations, trust crimes and regulatory violations.

In Bangladesh white collar crimes are on the rise. Here politics has criminalized and corruption has taken strong hold. Transparency International (TI), a German based non-governmental organization, has identified Bangladesh as the most corrupt country in the world for consecutive five years. But in 2013 it increased and positioned 14. People of upper socio-economic class, ruling elites and people of different groups are committing white collar crimes in Bangladesh. They are making huge amounts of money by corruption, manipulation and abuse of power causing severe detriment to the national economy.

In Bangladesh, not only the people of upper socioeconomic class are involved in white collar crime, the people from top to bottom are practicing this vice, so far corruption, bribery and other malpractices are concerned. All the categories of white collar crimes are present here, but corruption occupies the most prominent place. In identifying and discussing white collar crime in Bangladesh, all pervasive corruption has taken the foremost priority. Greed and unlimited desires, in the absence of sufficient social control, seem to contribute to these crimes and its voluminous increase. Anomie and social control theorists suggest that when social control is either absent or weakens, it will lead to deregulation in the society, where many problems arise. (Ahmed, 2013)

The focus on my research will be on two subtopics- Since, Bangladesh stands in the 143rd place out of 180 most corrupted countries in the world therefore finding justice for these kinds of crimes is nearly impossible, I would like to know if and how the offenders should be punished. White Collar Crimes destroy enormous amounts of shareholder values in companies. In corporate crimes, perpetrators of crimes who are punished pay a wbprice financially and professionally. But what is less obvious or widely recognized is the damage to employees who had nothing to do with the crime. In Bangladesh, the low rate of legal action against the perpetrators most likely reflects the practical challenges of prosecuting white-collar criminals: Evidence that an individual committed an act doesn’t suffice; there also has to be proof that he or she intended to commit it or had knowledge of wrongdoing. Given the potential penalties and reputational risks to companies, corporate attorneys often advise executives to quietly dismiss perpetrators without any legal action.

The focus of my research will also be the effects it has in our society. Most experts agree that the economic impact of white-collar crime is far more costly than ordinary crime. White-collar crime can endanger employees through unsafe working conditions, injure consumers because of dangerous products, and cause pollution problems for a community. Sociologists have emphasized that white-collar crimes are particularly harmful to society because they are committed by persons in power who are expected to set a moral example and behave responsibly. (Meier & Short, 1982)

White Collar crime, which is a nonviolent crime done for financial gain, originated in 1949 and was recognized by sociologist Edwin Sutherland. He defined it as ‘crime committed by a person of respectability and high social status in the course of their occupation. Over the years, white collar crimes surged as advancements in technology and new financial products appeared. For instance, Credit Suisse was found guilty in 2014 by helping US citizens to avoid paying taxes by hiding income from the Internal Revenue Service. The bank then agreed to pay a penalty of $2.6 billion. (Chen, 2020). In 1997 the UK witnessed one of the biggest white collar crimes. The former shipping tycoon Abbas Gokal was imprisoned for 14 years as he was a part of the collapse of Bank of Credit & Commerce International. He had created a web of loans which totalled $1.2 billion (£794 million). The Social Fraud Office also got a hold of Kevin Foster who was imprisoned for 10 years as he developed a pyramid scheme. It was a football betting scheme where he takes stakes from his colleagues, promising them a fivefold return on their money, and encouraging participants to roll over their winnings and invest further in his next scheme.

From there, he expanded his scheme, named it KF Concept in 2002, and launched a series of roadshows in England, Wales and Scotland. He was able to extract a total of £34m from more than 8,500 investors. His main targets were low-income small towners who were very close to each other. Foster was charged in 2007 which led to a trial and conviction in 2010. During his investigation, it was found that £12m of the money raised had been channeled into an illegal pyramid investment scheme, Planline,of which only £1,703 was ever recovered. It was also found that he had used a large amount of this money for living a luxurious life. (Kevin Foster (fraudster), 2020) Sutherland started examining White Collar crimes during the depression in the 1930s.His enthusiasm for this subject came from the search for the general theory of crime. During his time which also happens now, people used to find the reason for these crimes to be due to poverty, unemployment and other pathological factors but he argued that these cannot be used as justification for crimes committed by people of high social and respectable status. The webpage says, “In the book-length version of the speech, [“The White Collar Criminal”] which appeared a decade later, Sutherland aimed simultaneously to weaken theories depending on the behavior of the deprived and the depraved, and to provide support for his own social-learning approach to crime causation—the theory of differential association.” His book focused not on the persons but on the crimes of organizations which were seventy large corporations and fifteen public utilities; like sometimes it focused on persons of high status, sometimes on occupations and other times on corporate bodies. This book stirred up a great controversy as it had – “described the illegalities committed by those corporations, arguing that the corporations share most of the characteristics of professional thieves: their offenses are deliberate and organized, they are often recidivists, and they show disdain for law.” This made some people consider this book as a holy grail while others found it misleading. Most people disagreed with the book because of the concept of the crime. The crimes Sutherland had researched and written about were rarely prosecuted in the court and many legal officials said that these were not even considered crimes. Sutherland answered this by saying that these businessmen had great power over the legal proceedings which helped them to avoid any punishments for their crimes. (White Collar Crime: History of an Idea, n.d.)

Bangladesh is not the out of victim of white collar crime, rather this type of crime led the country into a higher corrupted country in the world from 2001 to 2005 correspondingly. Here the politicians who hold the power are mostly criminalized and corrupted. (White Collar Crime in Bangladesh, pp. 4.3, 2015) Bangladesh has followed other creating nations in an equivalent grasp of professional culpability. The quick improvement in economy and mechanical development in late decades has expanded clerical violations in the current day. Already (during the time of BNP-Jamat govt.) the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) has recognized Bangladesh has been the most corrupt nation for five successive years. Individuals of the upper financial class, administering elites and individuals of various gatherings are perpetrating desk wrongdoings in Bangladesh. They are making a lot of money through debasement, control and the maltreatment of intensity, making extreme inconvenience to the public economy. The professions of humanity such as –Doctor, Engineer, Lawyer, NGO holder, teachers are not out of this. It is common knowledge that certain professions offer lucrative opportunities for criminal acts and unethical persons in business, various professions and even in public life. They will in general become corrupt due to their disregard at school, home and other social organizations where individuals get prepared for citizenship and character building. These deviants have meager respect for genuineness and other moral qualities. In this manner they carry on their criminal operations without risk of punishment without the dread of loss of notoriety or status. (Babu, 2017)

Blue Economy of Bangladesh: Opportunity for Sustainable Development

Posted on December 5, 2024 | by Laureen

Tourism

Fisheries

Natural Resources

Shipping

Conclusion

References

Ajker Bisso: Golam Mostofa Kiron. 97 edition.
Daily Star. “January Export Earnings Highest in 5 Months”. Published April 5, 2019.
Fayaz Zamal, Sachalayatan.com, 28/3/2012. ‘Bangladesh Vs Myanmar Maritime Boundary Dispute, Verdict: A Brief Summary’. FRSS: Fast Response Survey System.
Petrobangla: https://www.petrobangla.org.bd/
UNCLOS: United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS): Official Text, United Nations, New York, 1983, p.17.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cox%27s_Bazar

The Evolution Of White Collar Crime In Bangladesh

Posted on December 5, 2024 | by Laureen

The Current State of the Newspaper Industry in Bangladesh

Posted on December 5, 2024 | by Laureen

Bangladesh has currently 3025 newspapers in total. This total number includes 1078 daily newspaper, 1947 weekly newspaper and fortnightlies and monthlies. The newspaper media industry had its best time where the circulation of newspaper and the rate of newspaper reader were increasing until 2013. As the literacy rate increased, the number of newspaper reader increased as well. People would wake up and they would read the newspaper while having a cup of coffee; they would read the newspaper while going to the workplace while riding on a bus or a car. It became a everyday thing in people’s lives. Decrease in newspaper circulation started in 2014 where the circulation drastically dropped by 14% from the previous year. In our country, the top 10 newspapers are the market leaders and they own 95% of the whole market share. According to Journalism School, government provided wrong data regarding the total number of circulation of newspaper. The circulation kept decreasing after 2013. For example, Prothom Alo circulated 5.02 lacs newspaper in 2013 whereas the number of newspaper circulation in 2014 and 2015 were 4.5 lacs and 4.26 lacs. The Daily Ittefaq, the oldest newspaper in Bangladesh, used to circulate 110,000 newspapers in 2009. The number decreased to 90,000 in 2011 and 8,000 in 2015. The decrease in circulation of newspaper happened globally. According to Matiur Rahman, the then chief of the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh or NOAB, Bangladeshi newspapers are losing its reader at a 5% to 10% in the past few years which reduced the revenue stream of the newspaper industry.

However, there has been an increase in the circulation number recently. According to the latest data released by Department of Films and Publications or DFP, the number has not decreased in term of copies sold by the newspapers. For example, according to data for January 1 this year, the newspaper’s circulation Prothom Alo was 501,800 which shows the number of circulation increased in the last five years. Bangladesh Pratidin is selling 553,300 copies on each of the two days before and after as many years. This data list was made by the official at information ministry. However, they doubt the number themselves. Where the newspaper industry has been dying the in the global aspect, the newspaper industry of Bangladesh seems to still hold the market.

The number has only increased the top newspapers that hold 95% of the market share. A number of newspaper and magazines have closed or have been compelled to go online. One of the main reasons for the print industry to lose its reader is the emergence of online newspaper in Bangladesh.