Bangladesh

Established as an independent country in 1971 (it was formerly East Pakistan), Bangladesh has a land area of 140,570 square kilometers. Current population is 168 million of which 50.6 percent are men and 49.4 percent are women. There are 64 million children which is 40 percent of the total population.

Due to natural disasters in the country, most of the districts get flooded regularly. Many people do not have access to safe drinking water and lose their homes, work and belongings. These situations push people to move to slums in the cities where they cannot access basic facilities or services. The influx of refugees from Rohingya is one of the main crises faced by Bangladesh in recent times with 907,000 refugees being hosted by the country of which 52 percent are children.

Islam is the state religion in Bangladesh. The constitution upholds the principle of secularism prohibiting discrimination based on religion and providing equality for all religions. Sunni Muslims constitute 89 percent of the population and Hindus 10 percent with the remainder being Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) and Theravada-Hinayana Buddhist. There are different family laws related to marriage, divorce, and adoption for Muslims, Hindus, and Christians. Religious studies are compulsory and part of the curriculum for grades three through 10 in all public government-accredited schools.

FPCC in Bangladesh

UNICEF and the Islamic Foundation of Bangladesh (IFB) in the Ministry of Religious Affairs identified 15 priority areas for religious leaders to promote positive social and behavior change, including a focus on adolescents to end child marriage and improve school enrolment and retention; social and behavior change to end drug abuse, and to promote gender equity and positive WASH behaviors; maternal and child health, exclusive breastfeeding and early childhood care; child protection and prevention of violence; birth registration; and a focus on children with disabilities to address related stigma and discrimination. Religions for Peace Bangladesh in implementing community engagement activities with religious leaders and children within the FPCC framework.

FPCC Activities in Bangladesh

Mind-Heart Dialogue Training of Facilitators

UNICEF and IFB organized a Training of Facilitators on Mind-Heart Dialogue for Bangladesh with the support of UNICEF in the period from 5-8 July 2024 at CCULB Resort & Convention Hall, Ulukhola, Kaliganj, Gazipur, Dhaka. The training was organized for the participants from four religious institutions such as the Islamic Foundation, Christian Religion Welfare Trust, Buddhist Religion Welfare Trust, and Hindu Religion Welfare Trust.