On the occasion of World Food Day, Food Security Network (KHANI), Bangladesh has organized a series of countrywide programs calling on the government to enact law on ‘Right to Food Act’’.
Under the ‘'Month of Action on Right to Food' campaign, KHANI observes Rural Women's Day, World Food Day and Poverty Eradication Day in at least 21 districts in the country.
The events they hold include human chain, cycle rally, discussion meeting, public hearing, disaster food technology exhibitions, mime shows, street dramas and other programs arranged for creating public opinion on right to food issues.
Parliament members, district commissioner, upazila chairmen, development workers, farmers, women farmers and people from all levels joined these programs.
Programs are arranged by different member organizations supported by KHANI from Dhaka, kaliganj, Satkhira, Camilla, Khulna, Gaibandha, Barguna, Chittagong, Bandarban, Bagerhat, Rajshahi, Kishoreganj, Thakurgaon, Koyra, Barisal, Pirojpur, Sylhet, Jhenaidah, Khagrachari and Habiganj.
Speakers of these events regretted that, ``The constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh identified food as a basic necessity of life yet Bangladesh has ranked 83rd out of 113 countries in the World Food Security Index, 2019.”
According to agriculture researchers, “About 98.3% of the country’s poor people and their livelihood have been severely hampered and 87% of poor people have suffered an adequate and nutritious food crisis during the lockdown for COVID-19 pandemic.”
Besides, Bangladesh statistics showed that the income of the country's households has decreased by 20.24 percent. So, in order to ensure safe and nutritious food for all the people of the country regardless of their livelihood status and culture, it is necessary to enact the Right to Food Legislation right now on basis of the Voluntary Guidelines of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization.
Enactment of the act will create a legal obligation for all people in case of adequate income for buying food, food supply and safe and nutritious food regarding culture. Though The Honourable Prime Minister has promised to enact the Right to Food Legislation in 2015, no visible progress has been made so far from the concerned ministries. Through today's event organizing on the occasion of World Food Day, we are demanding the enactment of this legislation immediately.’’
They also said, ‘Women and children in the country are mostly backward in case of nutrition rights considering gender. About 60% of women in Bangladesh are suffering from different forms of malnutrition.
In 1997, 80% of the country's children were undersized which has been decreased by 31% in 2018. Despite that, the birth rate of undersized children is still high in Bangladesh in comparison to the global context. The main reason is we have failed to ensure nutritious food for the mother. So The Right to Food legislation has to be enacted to ensure food and nutrition for all human beings.’
