Bangladesh

Bangladesh authorities are arbitrarily arresting government critics under the draconian Digital Security Act, stifling civil society, independent media, and human rights activists. There are serious and numerous allegations of torture, extrajudicial killings, and enforced disappearances by security forces that continue to operate with near complete impunity. Though Bangladesh has upheld its international obligations not to forcibly return Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, the government has adopted severely repressive measures denying refugees their rights to information, education, and health, and has detained hundreds of refugees on a flood-prone silt island in the Bay of Bengal without freedom of movement or access to critical humanitarian and protection services. Authorities fail to protect LGBT people, religious minorities, and indigenous populations. Women and girls face widespread violence and sexual assault without reliable protection or legal recourse. Bangladesh has one of the highest rates of child marriage in the world.