October 2023 - BRAC Institute of Governance and Development

Under the shadow of remarkable progress on many economic and social indicators, Bangladesh continues to grapple with stark disparities. Needless to say, disadvantaged people are the worst sufferers of disparities. Among the most disadvantaged are impoverished households caring for persons with disabilities. According to the country’s National Survey on Persons with Disabilities (NSPD) 2021, approximately 2.8 percent of the population lives with disabilities; the rate is higher in rural areas (2.89 percent). Despite constituting a sizable population, persons with disabilities— and particularly their need for care—still receive little attention among policymakers and other stakeholders.

Individuals with disabilities in poor families often face the burden of high treatment expenses and the lack of family members who could facilitate their treatment, for example, by taking them to the hospital. A national survey on persons with disabilities attests that substantial treatment costs (81%) and lack of family support (30.77%) were the two main reasons for not being able to access health care services in the past three months.

In addition, they face numerous other challenges including lack of knowledge and skills of caregivers and limited institutional support and services. Thus, individuals with disabilities, particularly in poor households, usually do not get the care and treatment they need.

Caregiving is a crucial aspect of ensuring the wellbeing of persons with disabilities. BRAC Institute of Governance and Development’s (BIGD) research on BRAC’s Disability Inclusive Ultra-Poor Graduation (DIUPG) program reveals a stark reality of caregiving in extreme-poor households. Caregiving for persons with disabilities in vulnerable households primarily rests upon household members, particularly women—mothers, wives, and sisters constituting a striking 91% of caregivers—who display serious dedication but unfortunately lack specialized knowledge to meet disability specific needs. Also, 11% of the individuals with disabilities do not have any caregivers at all. More than 50% of the caregivers did not pass any class and the rest did not study beyond primary.

Primarily due to the limited education of the caregivers, caregiving in these households often hinges on superstitious beliefs and erroneous assumptions, which often shape how the care is given. How? Households often attribute disability to supernatural causes or parental misdeeds, discouraging household members from arranging the necessary treatment and care for the individual with disabilities. Also, in rural communities, the lack of exposure to accurate information perpetuates these misconceptions. Thus, persons with disabilities may experience neglect and substandard care due to the misconceptions surrounding the causes of disability. The first lesson to formal caregiving, thus, should be the positive perspective towards disabilities. This is why psychological counselling comes in as an integral part of caregiving to change the negative mindset of the caregivers and the household members and dismantle the prevalent stigma attached to disabilities.

Even when caregivers are sincere, they do not know what specific care and provisions are needed for the specific type of disabilities and severities they are dealing with. Caregiving, in most cases, is limited to only feeding, bathing, helping with dressing, and in some cases giving medicine. They know very little apart from these daily activities. However, there are different needs for different types and severities of disabilities. For example, a person with walking and moving difficulties might require a prescribed set of exercises, which the households may not know about at all or may lack correct information about the right place and the right approach to adopting the treatment.

It is also important to create awareness among the neighbours to address their negative attitude towards persons with disabilities because their constant humiliation and negative attitude toward them might dissuade caregivers from providing necessary care to their household members with disabilities. Greater awareness among the neighbours will relieve the caregiver from mental stress and societal pressures.

Caregivers also need to have a good idea about what the household members with disabilities can and cannot do. Our field observation finds that those who have mild and moderate levels of severity of disabilities can contribute to household work and income-generating activities, and lead a comfortable life if they get proper caregiving. Those who have severe levels of disabilities can at least improve and lead a meaningful life with proper caregiving. Appropriate caregiving includes knowledge about disability, medication, exercise, and the right ways of behaving with persons with disabilities depending on their mental condition. However, caregiving is demanding work. Female caregivers are heavily involved in doing household chores, caring for other family members, and even engaging in income-generating activities, especially in poor households. All household members should know the standard caregiving practices so that they can share the heavy burden of caregiving that primarily rests on women.

However, the real challenge is with the absence of institutional arrangements and formal training on caregiving by government, private, or non-profit institutes. The issues faced by persons with disabilities are rarely talked about.

All these factors result in missed opportunities for therapy, exercises, and reasonable accommodations that could significantly improve the lives of individuals with disabilities.

To bridge this gap, both government and non-government organisations should offer formal training to dispel disability myths and equip caregivers with essential skills. Transforming caregiving requires collective efforts, empowering caregivers, and challenging misconceptions. Apart from these, it is essential to enhance the financial capability of poor households, particularly in cases where formal caregiving entails costs.

However, the motivation of caregivers to continue providing appropriate care also depends on their physical health, mental condition, and other household work commitments. Thus, in addition to training, it is important to recognize or financially empower the women involved in caregiving.

Md. Karimul Islam is a Research Associate and Md. Kamruzzaman is a Research Coordinator at BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD)

On 13 September 2023, the Cyber Security Bill of 2023 was successfully passed in parliament, replacing the Digital Security Act (DSA), which was initially passed on 8 October 2018. The DSA had faced significant criticism for its perceived encroachment on freedom of expression.

The new Cyber Security Bill intends to address some of the shortcomings of the DSA. Notable changes in the new bill include reclassifying certain non-bailable offences under the DSA as bailable, reducing punishments for specific offences, increasing fines, and removing provisions for additional punishment in cases of repeated offences. However, many experts and organizations working on human rights issues opined that the new Cyber Security Bill is akin to repackaging the same old DSA in a new bottle—it does not address any major concerns raised about the DSA—and suggested recommendations for amendment.

The Act, designed to protect digital security, has led to a significant number of cases; over 7,000 lawsuits have been filed under the DSA in Bangladesh since its enactment. Individuals from all walks of life, ranging from children to government employees, have been accused. And from the type of changes introduced, it is apparent that the new act is not going to alter this trend as it does not decriminalize any action that was considered criminal under the DSA.

So, an important question emerges: do the people of Bangladesh truly believe they are free as citizens? Are they comfortable expressing their opinions on social media? A recent nationally representative survey conducted in November–December 2022, with a sample size of 10,218 respondents, offers valuable insights into the sentiments of the Bangladeshi population regarding these questions.

Surprisingly, the survey reveals that a considerable majority (78%) of respondents think themselves free as citizens of Bangladesh. Further examination of the data reveals a more nuanced picture. It becomes apparent that women, more so than men, embrace this belief, with 82% expressing their sense of freedom. Education level also plays a role, as 80% of those with no formal education assert their freedom, while only 72% of graduates hold the same view. Furthermore, income disparities are mirrored in these responses, with 80% of respondents from households earning less than BDT 5,000 affirming their freedom, while the figure drops to 65% among those from households earning between BDT 40,000 and BDT 50,000.

We asked respondents to tell us why they considered themselves free. A large group (45%) think they are free as citizens because they can act as they please. Freedom of movement also seems to be a major determinant of freedom, mentioned by 21% of respondents. Living as a citizen or living in a free country also influences citizens’ sense of freedom, as the survey

Figure 1: Factors Contributing to Bangladeshi Citizens’ Sense of Freedom

Alternatively, respondents who do not consider themselves free think that they lack freedom of movement (13%), freedom of speech (13%), and security (13%). They also talked about not having true voting rights, lack of the rule of law, existing political turmoil, and economic hardship as reasons which violate their sense of freedom as citizens.

What we need to remember is that our survey did not define “freedom.” The respondents used their own understanding to assess whether they were free and responded accordingly. The detailed analysis of the reasons for their beliefs reveals that those who thought they were free gave mostly vague and general concepts of freedom, while those giving a negative response mentioned rather specific aspects of freedom. Thus, it may not be unjustified to assume that many who answered positively may not fully understand what freedom entails for a free citizen.

In the next set of questions, we asked people about their internet usage behaviour and use of social media. About 47% of the total respondents were found to be using the internet, and among them, more than 82% used Facebook and 6% used Twitter.

Those who used either Facebook or Twitter were asked if they felt safe to post/like/share their opinion regarding social issues in the country. The result is somewhat disturbing, as about 63% viewed that it is never or not very often safe to post opinions on social media. When they were asked if they felt safe to post opinions on political issues on social media, an even bleaker scenario emerged. About 73% of the respondents feel that it is never or not often safe to post or share opinions on political issues on Facebook. A mere 12% of respondents feel safe to post their opinions on the subject. These opinions do not vary much across gender, education, and income groups, highlighting the pervasive fear associated with openly discussing political matters.

Figure 2: Factors Contributing to Bangladeshi Citizens’ Lack of Freedom

What takeaways can one generate from these contrasting findings? Though on the surface, people may think of themselves as free citizens, their idea of freedom seems to be rather limited. Thus, the high rate of positive answers regarding the question of freedom as citizens may be a significant overestimation. This is exemplified by other data points: vague definition of freedom by those responding positively, specific definitions (including freedom of speech) among those responding negatively, higher negative response among those with higher education, and the overwhelming fear surrounding freedom of expression on social media.

Finally, the question remains: what is the source of this overwhelming fear? Does this fear come from the execution of the DSA, which often seems to harass citizens? Will the new act be able to alleviate this fear? From the changes that were made, it seems rather unlikely.

Tanvir Ahmed Mozumder is a Research Coordinator at the BRAC Institute of Governance and Development (BIGD)

Month: October 2023

Freedom (Fear) of Expression in a Free Country