Child labour remains a pressing crisis globally. According to estimates by the ILO and UNICEF, as of 2024, around 138 million children were engaged in labour, with approximately 54 million involved in hazardous tasks that endanger their health and development. Agriculture continues to account for the majority of cases, representing 61 per cent of all child labour...
BANGLADESH is facing an alarming decline in science student enrolment at the higher secondary certificate level and, as a result, the country now stands at a critical crossroads. While Asian nations such as Japan, South Korea, China, Vietnam, Singapore and Malaysia surge ahead on the engines of science and technology, we are witnessing a significant aversion to and...
IN THE age of smartphones, everyone carries a camera 鈥� and increasingly, everyone acts as if they are part of a production. In Bangladesh, this technological reality has collided with the erosion of privacy, creating an unsettling new normal: security checkpoints turned into stages for public spectacle. The stars of these impromptu performances are rarely willing...
MENSTRUATION, once shrouded in silence, stigma, and taboo, has now gained global recognition as a critical human rights concern. This shift in perspective has highlighted the fact that menstrual health is not just a hygiene issue. In Bangladesh, a nation striving for gender equality amidst its development journey, the pursuit of dignified menstrual health for all is fraught...
ONCE the pinnacle of evolutionary achievement, the human brain is now experiencing an unprecedented decline in its cognitive and analytical capabilities. What began as a gradual erosion with the rise of social media has accelerated into a cognitive crisis with the integration of artificial intelligence into our educational systems. Recent ground-breaking research...
THERE are few differences between the lies told to ignite the war with Iraq and the lies told to ignite a war with Iran. The assessments of our intelligence agencies and international bodies are, as they were during the calls to invade Iraq, airily dismissed for hallucinations.
THROUGHOUT history, countless individuals have dedicated their lives to the service of humanity 鈥� quietly, selflessly, and without any desire for recognition or fame. These unsung heroes, whether working alone or as part of a collective effort, often...
JUST before the Eid holidays, I was in the Rohingya camps in Cox鈥檚 Bazar with my colleagues. It was heart-warming to see the little children laughing and learning in makeshift classrooms. These learning centres were their happy places where they...
BANGLADESH stands at a historic crossroads. As the nation experiences rising energy demands driven by urbanisation, industrialisation and demographic growth, its energy planning decisions will shape the trajectory of development, environmental sustainability and...
ISRAEL, like many other colonial projects, was established through violence and has relied on the use of force to occupy Arab territory ever since. Understanding that its existence depended on having a superior military in a hostile region prompted...
I am not a criminologist, or a lawyer, or even a social scientist. But I am one of those who have received a considerable level of education. Alas, my learning, knowledge, and living in the world for more than five decades do not give me a true...
ON JUNE 13, 2025, just as the sixth round of indirect negotiations between the United States and Iran over Tehran鈥檚 nuclear programme was set to begin, Israel launched a massive, unprovoked military assault on Iran鈥檚 nuclear and...
EVERY morning, 45-year-old Julekha Khatun (name changed) begins her day聽 before sunrise, rummaging through garbage heaps at Rayerbazar. She collects plastic bottles, bits of metal and paper. These are items most of us thoughtlessly throw away. To her...
THE Orwellian G7 statement described Israel鈥檚 military attacks on Iran as 鈥榮elf鈥慸efence.鈥� By twisting language to fit political ends, the communiqu茅 normalises aggression and offers diplomatic cover for Israel鈥檚 serial violations of international law. Rather than condemning Israeli dangerous escalation, the G7 resorts to vague calls for 鈥榙e-escalation,鈥� effectively...
