MAILBOX

The Undead of Rana Plaza

The Rana Plaza collapse continues to haunt its survivors and those who worked in rescue operations years ago. The collapse not only affected the survivors, it also affected the psychosocial health of civilians and rescuers. It is crucial to extend psychosocial counselling services and support to the Rana Plaza survivors. It is the responsibility of both government and non-government organisations to extend support to those in need.

Joshinta Areng

Notre Dame University Bangladesh

An earthquake can be catastrophic for Bangladesh

Unlike most natural disasters prediction of earthquake is very complex. Due to its geological characteristics, Bangladesh is under tremendous threat of an impending earthquake. If a tremor strikes the country, Dhaka, the capital, will be among the worst affected. Though Bangladesh has not experienced a huge earthquake in the near past, we must draw lessons from other quake-hit countries to prevent damage and casualties. Natural calamities can happen any time of the year. There should be necessary equipment for the post-disaster rescue operation. Adequate budget allocation should be there for purchasing machinery and people must be trained to operate those. Bangladesh National Building Code must be strictly enforced in order to avoid casualties from natural disasters like earthquakes. Spreading awareness among people and advanced preparedness programmes can significantly reduce damage and casualties.  Bangladesh is internationally recognised for its proactive plans aimed at addressing the risk of cyclone and flood. Unfortunately, earthquake disaster preparedness is far from satisfactory. If the country is to avert a human tragedy of epic proportions the time to act is now.

Zubair Khaled Huq

#METOO in Bangladesh?

I am a poet and a writer from Dhaka and I came across the piece "Why #metoo is not happening in Bangladesh? on Star Weekend. I would like to thank the writer from the bottom of my heart for shedding light upon this sensitive topic in our country.

 Being a poet from Dhaka and writing anonymously for years on social platforms, I have come across many interesting things. One of the most interesting though has to be the fact that 99 percent of my readers thought I was a man. I tried to understand exactly why was it that they "felt" I was a man and my friend explained that it was not expected of a woman to be thoughtful in our society. Recently, I joined an organisaton as the Head of Creative Marketing and had to resign within a week when the Managing Director, after being given continuous and clear instructions that I would not participate in his sexual endeavours, would not keep his eyes or his mind away from my body. This man with his political power and fame in the media knew very well that he could risk it, with me and with any other junior colleagues.

I could not thank the writer more for this thoughtful article. I am looking forward to reading and learning more from such thoughtful pieces. 

Regards,

M Hassan