Civil society representatives have emphasized on the inclusion of civil society or Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in drafting and amending laws or regulations in order to address societal challenges. Inclusion of CSOs or civil society representatives will make it easier to address societal challenges, they said.
They also said that the role of CSOs in conducting advocacy programmes, awareness campaigns, creating direct communication channels with each other make significant contributions to national development.
The civil society representatives made their opinions in five separate consultation meetings in Dhaka, Kushtia, Satkhira, Bandarban and Naogaon.
The meetings were held under the project ‘Susheel: Supporting the Unity and Sustainability of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to Uphold Human Rights, National Integrity and Rule of Law in Bangladesh’. ActionAid Bangladesh is implementing the project with the support of the European Commission
The project is being implemented in nine districts-- Dhaka, Kurigram, Gaibandha, Naogaon, Kushtia, Bagrehat, Satkhira, Chittagong, Bandarban-- in the beginning of 2023. The activities of the projects will continue till December, 2026. The ‘Susheel’ project is being implemented to increase the efficiency and capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs).
The CSOs in Dhaka, Naogaon, Kushtia, Bandarban and Satkhira are working on the promotion of women’s rights, children’s rights and elimination of gender discrimination, human rights, land rights, health services, protection of rights of teachers, minority communities, indigenous and disabled persons, and climate change.
A CSO representative of Dhaka’s Safety and Rights Society said, “We have been working for a long time to promote women’s rights, children’s rights and eliminate gender discrimination. The government has been enacting laws and policies to promote women’s rights and combat violence. If we are involved in the process of amending and drafting laws and policies, we can highlight our work experience.”
A CSO representative from Barendra Development Organisation in the meeting in Naogaon highlighted the difficulties of ethnic minorities and said, “As the members of an ethnic group, we have been allotted land. However, we are not able to get this land year after year due to the non-amendment of the policy.”
A CSO representative in Satkhira said, “We are working on various issues. As a result, we are getting to know the needs and challenges of the target population closely and are working to find possible ways to overcome them. So, I think that if we ensure the participation of civil society organisations in the formulation or amendment in related policies, the policies will be more people-friendly and helpful for the people.”
It can be mentioned that ActionAid Bangladesh has submitted letters of recommendation to the National Human Rights Commission, the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs and the Ministry of Education for the inclusion of civil society in the drafting or amending new laws or regulations.
