This book focuses on the status of women in the social and legal context of Bangladesh and has made an effort to highlight both the situation of rural and urban Bangali women and the discrimination and violence they face almost on a day-to-day basis. The study upholds that even through Bangladesh is a signatory to various international instruments regarding women and children, trafficking and other cruel and degrading actions against women, the state has largely failed to uphold such obligations. There has been very little change in the social and legal status of women. Laws enacted to safeguard women’s rights look very impressive on paper, but the patriarchal social system in Bangladesh means that many of these laws are ignored, poorly implemented or simply by-passed. The book has also attempted to critically examine and question the activities of the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the monolithic non-government organisations and credit-giving schemes. The author has attempted to show that despite the staggering amount of money spent through these institutions for ‘development’ and ‘women’s empowerment’, Bangladesh remain a largely poverty-stricken and women still remain the poorest of the poor. The analysis, recommendations and suggestions found in this book, are intended as a reference for those who are seriously committed to the task of social engineering and upholding women’s rights as human rights.
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