Bangladesh: Facts and figures for January-June 2014

Economic security & emergency assistance

• Following elections-related clashes and/or political violence in several districts, affected households, including minorities in seven districts, received material assistance from the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.
• More than 370 families (amounting to over 2,000 people) in two districts in Khulna Division, and over 330 families (some 1,800 people) in two districts in Rangpur Division had their immediate needs covered by donations of food and non-food items.
• In three other districts, one in Chittagong and two in Rangpur Divisions, nearly 150 families (more than 800 people) were able to repair their damaged homes and/or shops using cash grants.

Providing limb-fitting and physical rehabilitation services

• With the cost of transport, food, accommodation and the provision of raw materials covered by the ICRC, 181 patients received 22 prostheses and 224 orthoses at the Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP) in Savar, while at the Chittagong CRP some 81 patients obtained 32 prostheses and 66 orthoses.
• The ICRC provided scholarships for ten students at the newly commissioned Prosthetics and Orthotics School in Bangladesh, laying the foundations for future professionals.

Two additional students with ICRC scholarships were enrolled in a four-year Bachelor of Prosthetics and Orthotics course at Mobility India/Southern India and TatCot/Tanzania, and one new student commenced a three-year Lower-Limb Prosthetics and Orthotics Diploma course, under an ICRC provided scholarship, at Mobility India/Southern India.

Restoring family links

• Migrants detained abroad and their families living in Bangladesh continued to benefit from the restoring family links (RFL) service of the Red Cross and Red Crescent tracing network. One hundred and fifty-two Red Cross messages, which contain only family news, were exchanged between families in Bangladesh and their close relatives detained mainly in Malaysia, Jordan, Lebanon, Thailand and Myanmar, and 729 oral messages were transmitted to notify the family of the detainees.
• One female migrant and her two young children were provided with temporary shelter and food, as well as the arrangement of the documents necessary for their repatriation to Pakistan.
• Two female migrants, previously detained in Israel and Jordan and who returned to Bangladesh, received BDRCS/ICRC help through the RFL service, including transportation home, and in one case a small livelihood cash grant.
• The ICRC together with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society (BDRCS) facilitated the return and family reunification of two unaccompanied minors who had been detained in Malaysia.

Highlighting the plight of missing families

• Twenty-five of the 86 families who had filed a tracing request with BDRCS following the Rana Plaza Building collapse in April 2013, and who are still missing family members, were paid a follow-up visit by the BDRCS and the ICRC – a human story which was brought to the attention of various authorities.
• The BDRCS, supported by the ICRC, shared their list of families with missing members (currently 59) with the Coordination Cell and Coordination Committee set up in Savar to allow their inclusion in any compensation or aid scheme. The regularly updated list was also shared with the Ministry of Labour at an earlier stage.

Supporting foreign detainees

• Some 535 vulnerable foreign detainees in 37 prisons had their living conditions improved thanks to BDRCS/ICRC-provided assistance packs, which include body and laundry soaps, cloth, towel, shirt and toothpaste. Exchanges of family news with their relatives and notifications to their respective consular representation were also made available to them through the RFL service.

Promoting international humanitarian law (IHL)

…with Bangladesh law enforcement agencies and the armed forces:

• One ‘train-the-trainer’ course on IHL and international human rights law, and first aid training was given to 25 members of the Bangladesh Border Guard and Bangladesh Coast Guard.
• An emergency room trauma course was organized for 20 doctors and ten nurses of the Bangladesh Armed Forces Division.
• Three pre-deployment training sessions were conducted, involving nearly 150 UN peacekeepers.
• Some 150 newly recruited field officers from two newly formed rapid action battalions, along with other battalions and 25 Bangladesh police service (BPS). personnel from Sylhet district, learnt about the ICRC and the RC/RC Movement.
• Bangladesh Police Academy (BPA) integrated mandatory full IHL course (100 marks) under the Law faculty of Rajshahi University in the Masters of Police Science curricula for the Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP).
• With the help of the ICRC, the BPS integrated first aid into their basic training curriculum for the ASP, sub-inspector and constable's training course.

…with authorities

• On 14 June, the Government of Bangladesh announced the creation of its National IHL Committee, with the Foreign Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as Chairperson and another ten members from other relevant ministries, as well as the BDRCS.
• Representatives of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Law and the Bangladesh police service participated in the 24th South Asian Teaching Session on IHL in Sri Lanka.
• Five government officials, including a Member of Parliament, attended the 5th South Asian Regional conference on IHL organized in Nepal.
• Fifteen officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs were given a basic introduction to IHL at the Foreign Service Academy.

…with academics:

• Nine academicians, armed and security forces personnel, government officials and students began studying IHL through an ICRC-sponsored online post-graduate diploma from the NALSAR University of Law, India.
• Three law teachers from universities of high repute participated in the Advanced IHL South Asian Academics Training (AISAAT) programme in India.
• The ICRC organized a dissemination session for 75 Principals of Aliya Madrasha at the Bangladesh Madrasha Teacher Training Institute.
• The ICRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Islamic studies of Rajshahi University, aimed at enhancing and developing academic capacity on IHL and Islam.
• The ICRC, in cooperation with the BDRCS, conducted first aid training programmes in Rashahi Sylhet and Khulna for more than 140 student activists of the main political parties, including Islamic organizations.
• The ICRC supported the BDRCS in running a medical booth in Biswo Ijtema, the second largest Muslim gathering after Hajj in Mecca. The BDRCS provided an outdoor medical service to over 2,500 patients.

Working in partnership with the Bangladesh Red Crescent Society

• With ICRC support through its emergency services programme, the BDRCS gave first aid to 125 people injured during politically motivated violence; a further 25 more seriously injured people were referred to hospitals.
• With the support of the ICRC, the BDRCS finalized its assessment report on the needs and capacity of its restoring family links programme; refresher courses were also organized for more than 60 volunteers in 62 districts.

From 2014 onwards, the ICRC is backing the BDRCS in two new projects supporting:

• two health complexes in Ukhiya and Teknaf in Cox’s Bazar District; and
• vulnerable communities in Chittagong Hill Tracts District.