Adolescent Reproductive Health, Including HIV/AIDS

The Health and Population Sector Strategy (HSSP/1998-2003) includes a component on
reproductive health care with prevention and control of STDs, HIV/AIDS, and adolescent care.

The Youth Policy recently included a section on developing awareness amongst adolescents on reproductive health. Adolescents are provided with health care services under the Integrated National Health Care Programme. Policy of the Health Population Sector Programme states that contraceptive services are not to be provided to unmarried adolescents. However, condoms and oral pills are available in drug stores all over the country. In 1997, a National Policy on HIV/AIDS and Strategic Plan for the National AIDS Programme for 1997-2000 were approved. The specific guidelines of the HIV/AIDS Policy include adolescents.

Girl’s Education

The Government has made special efforts to improve female literacy rates through policy measures that include provision of free education for girls at secondary school levels, food-for-education, and allocating a 60% quota for female primary school teachers. Government is placing major focus on non-formal education as an instrument for eradicating illiteracy. The Ministry of Education has undertaken an initiative to include gender concerns in the proposed Education Policy.

Family life education for adolescents and adults has been introduced through the existing Non Formal Education programme and it has been incorporated into the regular curriculum of Non Formal Education. A draft National Plan of Action for Education for All (EFA) for the period 2003-2015 has been prepared in line with the Dakar Framework for Action. The Primary Education for Development Programme-II (2003-2008) has been prepared on a programme-based approach, and within the framework of the EFA and Poverty Reduction Agenda, to serve as a basis for quality improvement in primary education for all children, including nterventions that will impact all children. The programme also includes special activities for children from the tribal groups. Under the PEDP-II specific programmes will be developed to provide disadvantaged children access to education.

Labour and Employment

The Factories Act of 1965 prohibits the employment of persons below 14 years of age. There is a growing voice of women’s and legal rights organizations that provide both remedial and proactive legal support to disadvantaged women and children, who are often the victims of human rights violations. The 5th Five Year Plan (1997-2002) highlights the need to review and amend laws and effective enforcement of existing laws related to the protection of children in difficult circumstances, particularly child labourers

Efforts underway focus on raising the minimum age for work or adopting a uniform minimum age. The Government drafted a new labour code, setting the minimum age of 14 years for all forms of work.

Gender Issues

Gender equality and reduction of gender disparity are among the overarching strategies of the National Plan of Action for Children. The NPA states that affirmative action in favour of girls and women will be one of its guiding principles and all activities concerning children and women will have this focus until equity is achieved.

Violence Against Women laws and provisions are in place that deal with violence such as physical abuse within the family, acid-throwing and burning. The 2003 “Prevention of Women and Children Repression (Amendment) Act provides for stringent measures including the death penalty, and life imprisonment for the crimes of rape, abduction, dowry and trafficking related offences. The age of children has been revised to 16 years from 14 years under this law. Although the law prohibits rape and physical spousal abuse, it makes no provisions for spousal rape as a crime.

A Draft Arsenic Policy is awaiting approval of the Government. Acid burns are a major hazard especially to women and young girls between 11 and 20 years, with the number of reported cases increasing over the years.

Anti-dowry legislation has been promulgated and special courts for their implementation have been set up to protect women and children from dowry-related crimes and violence.

In August 1999 a policy was approve creating a Destitute Women and Children Welfare Trust for repressed and economically handicapped women and children.

The government has adopted a National Plan of Action Against the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children including Trafficking for the period 2002-2007 to address child
sexual exploitation and trafficking. The law prohibits trafficking in persons and trafficking in children for immoral or illegal purposes carries the death penalty or life imprisonment.

International Conventions

Bangladesh has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child and Convention (CRC) with reservation to article 14, paragraph 1. Also article 21 would apply subject to the existing laws and practices in Bangladesh. It has also ratified the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW).

Youth participation

Young people are becoming more involved in policy formulation and decision making processes of the government. For example children’s inputs were invited in the formulation of the National Child Labour Policy and National Plan of Action (NPA) against Sexual Exploitation and Abuse of Children including trafficking. Children were included in the advisory committee for formulation of the NPA.

Age at first marriage

The minimum legal age of marriage is 18 and 21 years for girls and boys respectively. The mean age of marriage during adolescence (ages 10-14) is 12.4 for girls and 13.4 for boys. The 1929 Child Marriage Restraint Act makes an offence to marry or abet in the marriage of a child, defined as a female under 18 year or a male under 21 years of age. While the act does not declare these marriages void, it does provide for penalties for those involved (excluding the child).