Sexual and reproductive health

The campaign offers a case study in how a middle-income country with a strong historical track record in family planning responds when systems weaken.

The Ministry of Women and Children Affairs continues to insist that recruitment will be completed “shortly.” Until then, 373 unpaid workers remain the thin line between Bangladesh’s formal commitment to protect survivors of rape and the practical reality of a system under severe strain.

Rights groups argue that without clear regulation, effective monitoring and economic alternatives, vulnerable women remain at risk.

For a small island nation whose health system is already under strain, the fight against HIV has become one of the most pressing public health challenges of the decade.

At grades 9 and 10 – when many adolescents confront relationships, peer pressure and bodily changes – health becomes optional.

United Nations experts and local organisations agree that most intra-family and community abuse never reaches newspapers or police stations.

A hospital bed or a health card is of limited use if people are unaware of it, or do not access it in time.

Preparing health and social-protection systems for a larger elderly population is no longer a distant concern.