Legislation and Policies in Bangladesh
In a country where appropriate legislation and services for people with disabilities are few and far between, ADWA’s grit and determination has made some differences in the minds of the policy makers.
The Parliament members and the President of Bangladesh passed the Persons with Disabilities Rights and Protection Act 2013 on 9 October 2013. The Disabled Welfare Act 2001 was revoked with the support of the Charter of the United Nations when Bangladesh activated its new law on disability in 2013.
The government of Bangladesh enacted the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disability Act of 2013 (the Act) in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. This article sheds light on the Act with particular emphasis on (a) support offered to children with disabilities (CWDs) and their families to address their needs; and (b) the extent to which the Act is in line with the international disability policy analysis framework. We compared the Act with the 18 core concepts of disability policy developed by Turnbull et al. (2001). The results affirm the government’s effort toward Sustainable Development Goals in providing support to CWDs and their families. They indicate a high degree of congruency of the Act with the core concepts. The findings also highlight the need to embrace the concepts of autonomy, confidentiality, and family-centeredness in great detail in any policy initiatives pertaining to CWDs. Furthermore, the finding shows that collaboration and coordination among ministries are imperative to achieve the goal of policies related to disability. In addition, the results highlight the need for more budgetary allocation and robust monitoring systems to track the progress of policy initiatives. As policy implementation is affected by changes in global contexts such as the corona virus disease 2019 pandemic, policymakers in Bangladesh and other low- and middle-income countries should ensure that emergency responses are disability-inclusive and appropriate for CWDs. To ensure a disability-inclusive response, it is critical to engage individuals with disabilities and their families in meaningful consultations to identify their needs.
Bangladesh is the eighth most densely populated country in the world (1,070 population/km2), with an estimated population of 160.8 million (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics, 2018). The GDP is estimated at US$274.025 billion as of 2018, with an annual growth of 7.9% (The World Bank, 2020). Over the last few decades, Bangladesh has made remarkable progress in reducing poverty. For instance, based on the international poverty line of US$1.90 a day, it reduced poverty from 44.2% in 1991 to 14.8% in 2016/17. Rapid growth enabled Bangladesh to reach lower-middle-income country status in 2015. Despite this success, the country still faces daunting challenges, as approximately 24 million people are still living below the poverty line (The World Bank, 2019).
This article focuses on policies related to children with disabilities (CWDs) in Bangladesh and aims to shed light on one important aspect of policies pertaining to persons with disabilities (PWD) more generally. Specifically, this article spotlights the Bangladeshi Rights and Protection of Persons with Disability Act of 2013, with a particular emphasis on support for CWDs and their families. It is worth noting that the Act was enacted for PWDs in general, including CWDs, and by extension, their families. For the purpose of this article, we will use PWDs when the Act addresses all PWDs (inclusive of CWDs) and use CWDs when the content of the Act is directed specifically at children. Since the purpose of this article is to assess a disability policy in relation to CWDs, the sections that follow will first provide a synopsis about the situation of CWDs in Bangladesh followed by an overview of the Rights and Protection of Persons with Disability Act of 2013, the public agency designated to oversee the implementation of the Act, and budget allocation.