Research & publications Web edition
The Questionnaire
Challenges to Human Rights Defenders in Bangladesh
A Survey conducted by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS)
Assalamu Alaikum,
We are inviting you to participate in research work that is being done by the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) and Asia Foundation. The main objective of this research work is to find out what kinds of impediments and challenges are faced by the Human Rights Defenders of the country while they perform their responsibilities. Since you are a Human Rights Defender and have some remarkable experience in this field, you are requested to take part in this survey.
For the sake of the research, the whole survey will be documented in written form. Also, your consent to participate in this survey will be recorded. Your identity and information will not be disclosed anywhere for personal safety reasons. You can refrain from answering any of the questions in the survey and if you wish to withdraw from the survey, please let us know.
| Division wefvM | |
|---|---|
| District †Rjv | |
| Name of the interviewer mv¶vrKvi MÖnYKvixi bvg | |
| Date of interview mv¶vrKvi MÖn‡Yi ZvwiL | |
Serial number
Put a Cross (X) mark on the preferred answer in the empty boxes.Write elaborately where needed
| 101 | Age of the respondent DËi`vZvi eqm | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 102 | Gender wj½ | ||
| Male cyiæl | 1 | ||
| Female gwnjv | 2 | ||
| 103 | Religion ag© | ||
| Muslim gymwjg | 1 | ||
| Hindu wn›`y | 2 | ||
| Buddhist †eŠ× | 3 | ||
| Christian L„óvb | 4 | ||
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 5 |
Part 1: Demographic and general information
| 104 | Ethnic Identity RvwZMZ cwiPq | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengali ev½vwj | 1 | ||
| Indigenous/Ethnic Minority Avw`evmx/ÿz`ª b„‡Mvôx | 2 | ||
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 3 | ||
| 105 | Profession †ckv | ||
| 106 | Organization (if not involved with any organization, write independent) msMVb ( †Kvb msMV‡bi mv‡_ RwoZ bv _vK‡j ¯^Zš¿ wjLyb) | ||
| 107 | Designation (if any) c`ex (hw` _v‡K) | ||
| 108 | Region of activities Kvh©µ‡gi AÂj | ||
| National RvZxq | 1 | ||
| Local ¯’vbxq | 2 | ||
| Both Dfq | 3 |
Part 2: Experience
I will now ask you about personal experience of working as a human rights defender.
Please answer based on your expereince. Avwg GLb Avcbv‡K gvbevwaKviKg©x wn‡m‡e KvR Kivi e¨w³MZ
201. How many years have you been active as a human rights defender? Avcwb KZ eQi a‡i GKRb
| Less than 1 year 1 eQ‡ii Kg | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 1-5 Years 1-5 eQi | 2 | |
| 6-10 years 6-10 eQi | 3 | |
| More than 10 years 10 eQ‡ii †ewk | 4 |
202. What kinds of issues do you or your organization work on? (Multiple answers are accepted)
| Corruption `yb©xwZ | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Law enforcement AvB‡bi cÖ‡qvM | 2 | |
| Labor kÖg | 3 | |
| Environment cwi‡ek | 4 | |
| Land/Property Rwg/m¤úwË | 5 | |
| Indigenous/Ethnic Minority Avw`evmx/ÿz`ª b„‡Mvôx | 6 | |
| Religious minorities ag©xq msL¨vjNy †Mvôx | 7 | |
| Migrants/Refugee Awfevmx/kiYv_©x | 8 | |
| Children wkï | 9 | |
| Women bvix | 10 | |
| LGBTQ+ GjwRwewUwKD+ | 11 | |
| Persons with disabilities cÖwZeÜx | 12 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 13 |
203. As a human rights defender, have you received or been receiving support or any form of
assistance to facilitate your activities from any source? GKRb gvbevwaKviKg©x wn‡m‡e Avcwb wK †Kv‡bv
| Yes n¨vu | 1 | Go to 204 and 205 (204 Ges 205 G hvb) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No bv | 2 | Go to 206 (206 G hvb) |
204. What types of support or assistance have you received or been receiving in your capacity as
a human rights defender? (Multiple answers accepted) GKRb gvbevwaKviKg©x wn‡m‡e Avcwb Kx ai‡bi
| Legal AvBwb | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Financial Avw_©K | 2 | |
| Political ivR‰bwZK | 3 | |
| Protection wbivcËv | 4 | |
| Training cÖwkÿY | 5 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 6 |
205. From which sources have you received or been receiving support or assistance as a human
| Your organization Avcbvi msMVb | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Other human rights organization or NGOs Ab¨vb¨ gvbevwaKvi ms¯’v ev GbwRI | 2 | |
| Law enforcement agencies AvBb cÖ‡qvMKvix ms¯’v | 3 | |
| Independent benefactors ¯^vaxb mvnvh¨Kvix | 4 | |
| Government organizations/Agencies miKvwi cÖwZôvb/ms¯’v | 5 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 6 |
206. While working as a human right defender, do you face any kind of obstacles from any
| Yes n¨vu | 1 | Go to 207 and 208 (207 Ges 208 G hvb) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No bv | 2 | Go to 209 (209 G hvb) |
207. From where have you encountered or been facing obstacles in your role as a human rights
defender? (Multiple answers accepted) gvbevwaKviKg©x wn‡m‡e Avcbvi f~wgKv cvj‡b Avcwb †Kv_v †_‡K
| Law Enforcement Agencies AvBb cÖ‡qvMKvix ms¯’v | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| State Intelligence Agencies †Mv‡q›`v ms¯’v | 2 | |
| Ruling Political Party ¶gZvmxb ivR‰bwZK `j | 3 | |
| Oposition Political Party we‡ivax ivR‰bwZK `j | 4 | |
| Government Officials miKvix Kg©KZ©v/Kg©Pvix | 5 | |
| Businesses/Business interest groups e¨emv/e¨emvwqK ¯^v_©v‡š^mx †Mvôx | 6 | |
| Non-State Actors (religious, extremist, criminal, etc) iv‡ó«i evB‡ii kw³ (DMÖev`x, ag©xq, Acivax BZ¨vw`) | 7 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 8 |
208. What types of obstacles have you encountered or been facing in your role as a human rights
defender? (Multiple answers accepted) gvbevwaKviKg©x wn‡m‡e Avcbvi f~wgKvq Avcwb †Kvb ai‡bi evavi
| Government Repression miKvwi `gb-cxob | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Enforced Disappearances †Rvic~e©K ¸g | 2 | |
| Judicial Harassment and Arrests wePvi wefvMxq nqivwb Ges †MÖßvi | 3 | |
| Physical Attacks kvixwiK AvµgY | 4 | |
| Threats of Harm ¶wZi ûgwK | 5 | |
| Extortion or bribery Pvu`vevwR A_ev Nyl | 6 | |
| Restrictions on Activities Kvh©Kjv‡ci Dci wewawb‡la A_ev mxgve×Zv | 7 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 8 |
If you have faced or know anyone who has faced or believe human rights defenders face
harassment, intimidation or threat in their work, answer to 209 to 217 Avcwb hw` †Kv‡bv evavi gy‡LvgywL n‡q
209. How the human rights defenders are usually harassed or threatened? (Multiple answers
accepted) wKfv‡e gvbevwaKviKg©xiv mvaviYZ nqivwb ev ûgwKi m¤§yLxb nq? (GKvwaK DËi MÖnY‡hvM¨)
| Facing cases gvgjv †gvKvwejv | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Intimidation fq †`Lv‡bv | 2 | |
| Death Threat g„Zz¨i ûgwK | 3 | |
| Physical attacks kvixwiK AvµgY | 4 | |
| Threats of physical harm kvixwiK ÿwZi ûgwK | 5 | |
| Being followed/watched AbymiY Kiv/ bRi`vwi Kiv | 6 | |
| Online Harassment/Hacking AbjvBb nqivwb/n¨vwKs | 7 | |
| Friends/family members are harassed/intimidated/persecuted eÜy/cwiev‡ii m`m¨iv nqivwb/fxwZcÖ`k©b/wbh©vZ‡bi wkKvi nq | 8 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 9 |
210. How are threats or harassment usually carried out? (Mutiple answers accepted) wKfv‡e
| In-person mvgbvmvgwb | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Telephone/Mobile †Uwj‡dvb/†gvevBj | 2 | |
| Social media (Facebook, Whatsapp, etc) †mvk¨vj wgwWqv (†dmeyK, †nvqvUmA¨vc, BZ¨vw`) | 3 | |
| Email B‡gBj | 4 | |
| Letters wPwVcÎ | 5 | |
| Parcels cv‡m©j | 6 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 7 |
211. What was the purpose of the threats or harassement? (Multiple answers accepted) ûgwKi ev
| To stop a specific activity wbw`©ó †Kv‡bv Kvh©Kjvc eÜ Kiv | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| To cause psychological or physical harm gvbwmK ev kvixwiK ¶wZ Kiv | 2 | |
| To warn of future acts of violence against the recipient fwel¨r Avµgb Kiv n‡e GB g‡g© mZK© Kiv | 3 | |
| To warn of damage to reputation mybv‡gi ¶wZ Kiv n‡e e‡j mZK© Kiv | 4 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 5 |
212. Are the threats reported to any relevant authority? G mKj ûgwK wK h_vh_ KZ©…c‡¶i wbK‡U wi‡cvU© Kiv
| Yes n¨vu | 1 | Go to 207 and 208 (207 Ges 208 G hvb) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No bv | 2 | Go to 209 (209 G hvb) | |
| Don’t Know/Don’t Respond Rvwbbv/ Reve w`‡Z PvBbv | 3 | If you click 3 in 212, you should click 3 in 213 and 214 too 212 b¤^i cÖ‡kœ 3 b¤^‡i wK¬K Ki‡j 213 I 214 cÖ‡kœI 3 G wK¬K Kiæb |
213. If the threat was reported, was there an investigation carried out after the threat was
| Yes n¨vu | 1 | Go to 214 (214 G hvb) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No bv | 2 | Go to 216 (216 G hvb) | |
| Don’t Know/Don’t Respond Rvwbbv/ Reve w`‡Z PvBbv | 3 | If you click 3 in 213, you should click 3 in 214 too 212 213 b¤^i cÖ‡kœ 3 b¤^‡i wK¬K Ki‡j 214 cÖ‡kœI 3 G wK¬K Kiæb |
214. If there was an investigation, would you consider the response of the authorities adequate?
| Yes n¨vu | 1 | Go to 216 (216 G hvb) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| No bv | 2 | Go to 216 (216 G hvb) | |
| Don’t Know/Don’t Respond Rvwbbv/ Reve w`‡Z PvBbv | 3 |
215. What do you believe are the reasons the threats are not reported? (Mutiple naswers
| Not being aware of legal options against such threats GB ai‡bi ûgwKi weiæ‡× AvBwb c`‡¶c m¤ú‡K© m‡PZbZv bv _vKv | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| No proper investigation mwVK Z`šÍ nqbv | 2 | |
| Investigations never lead to sufficient results Z`šÍ KLbB ch©vß djvdj w`‡Z cv‡i bv | 3 | |
| Fear of retribution by the perpetrators for going public wi‡cvU© Ki‡j Acivax‡`i Øviv cÖwZ‡kv‡ai fq | 4 | |
| Lack of trust on the legal system AvBwb e¨e¯’vi Dci Av¯’vi Afve | 5 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 6 |
216. There are allegations that these threats against human rights defenders are not investigated. What are the reasons that threats against Human Rights Defenders are not
duly investigated in Bangladesh? gvbevwaKviKg©x‡`i weiæ‡× Gme ûgwKi Z`šÍ nq bv e‡j Awf‡hvM i‡q‡Q|
| Failure to report threats by victims fy³‡fvMx‡`i ûgwKi wel‡q wi‡cvU© Ki‡Z e¨_©Zv | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Biasness of the authorites KZ©…c‡¶i c¶cvwZZ ¡ | 2 | |
| Lack of a clear legal provision against threats ûgwKi weiæ‡× my¯úó AvBwb weav‡bi Afve | 3 | |
| Relation between perpetrators and government Acivax I miKv‡ii g‡a¨ mym¤úK© | 4 | |
| Involvement of state actors in threats ûgwKi mv‡_ ivó«xq µxob‡Kiv/e¨w³iv RwoZ | 5 | |
| Lack of technical capacity of the investigating authorities Z`šÍKvix KZ©…c‡¶i cÖhyw³MZ m¶gZvi Afve | 6 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 7 |
217. How did the threats impact your (and if you know of any other victim) daily activities?
| Continued to defend human rights as before c~‡e©i g‡Zv gvbevwaKvi i¶vq KvR K‡i hv‡”Qb | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| Had to reduce the scale of work Kv‡Ri cwiwa Kgv‡Z n‡q‡Q | 2 | |
| Had to request protection from the state iv‡ó«i Kv‡Q myi¶vi Aby‡iva Ki‡Z n‡q‡Q | 3 | |
| Had to leave the area GjvKv †_‡K P‡j †h‡Z n‡q‡Q | 4 | |
| Had to stop human rights defence activities gvbevwaKvi i¶v Kvh©µg eÜ Ki‡Z n‡q‡Q | 5 | |
| Others (Please specify) Ab¨vb¨ (D‡jøL Kiæb) | 6 |
Part 2: Experience
I will now ask your observations, perceptions and opinions about overall human rights situation in Bangladesh.
301. How do you describe the state of the overall human rights situation in Bangladesh? (In a
scale of 1 to 10, 1 being the worst and 10 being very good) evsjv‡`‡ki mvgwMÖK gvbevwaKvi cwiw¯’wZ‡K
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
|---|
302. How safe is Bangladesh currently for human rights defenders, that is those who work on
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Very safe Lye wbivc` | Moderately safe gvavwi wbivc` | Neutral wbi‡cÿ | Moderately unsafe gvSvwifv‡e Awbivc` | Very unsafe LyeB Awbivc` |
303. Do you think Bangladesh has policies, protocols, or specific practices to investigate threats
against human rights defenders? Avcwb wK g‡b K‡ib †h gvbevwaKviKg©x‡`i weiæ‡× ûgwKi Z`šÍ Kivi Rb¨
| Yes n¨vu | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| No bv | 2 | |
| Don’t know Rvwb bv | 3 |
304. Do you agree that Human Rights Organizations in Bangladesh actively provide safety and
support for human rights defenders? Avcwb wK GKgZ †h evsjv‡`‡k gvbevwaKvi ms¯’v¸wj mwµqfv‡e
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Strongly Agree `„pfv‡e GKgZ | Agree GKgZ | Neutral wbi‡cÿ | Disagree Am¤§Z | Strongly Disagree `„pfv‡e Am¤§Z |
Part 4
401. Other than what was asked in the questions above, are there any particular issues or challenges that are commonly faced by human rights defenders in their work?
