<i>They fight social evils, work to ensure rights</i>
Some 500 public researchers from 36 villages yesterday gathered in a conference in Tanore upazila, sharing their success stories in ensuring human rights through self-research in the last four years.
The researchers raised voice against dowry, child marriage and oppression on women at their villages. They are conducting anti-narcotics drives, sanitation programme and working to ensure justice for all.
They have opened non-formal education centres at villages for some 500 children and are maintaining 35 cooperative societies for economic empowerment of the villagers.
The researchers, mostly from different minority groups, indigenous and ultra-poor families, are playing entrepreneurship role in different development works and protection of human rights at their respective villages.
They identify and analyse problems, social disparity, community differences, and type of poverty at the villages. They along with the villagers take up programme and work together to resolve the problems.
Human rights organisation Broti and its Setu Bandhan project organised the conference as they trained the public researchers and came up with the concept. Manusher Jonno Foundation, a leading non-governmental organisation (NGO), is assisting the project.
Sharmin Murshid, chief executive of Broti's Shetu Bandhan project, chaired the conference held at Tanore Upazila Parishad auditorium.
Munira Khan, member of National Human Rights Commission, attended the conference as the chief guest.
Jatiya Adivasi Parishad General Secretary Rabindranath Saren, Khandaker Rizwanul Karim, programme manager (rights) of Manusher Jonno Foundation, attended as special guests.
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