Bangladesh
Country Profile: Bangladesh
| Human development index (for 2005) | |
| Human development index rank | 140 (UNDP 2007) |
| GDP per capital (PPP) | $2 053 (UNDP 2007) |
| Life Expectancy at birth (years) | 63.1 (UNDP 2007) |
| Combined gross enrolment ratio for primary, secondary and tertiary education | 56.0 (UNDP 2007)* |
| Demography | |
| Total population mid-2007 | 158 665 000 (United Nations 2006) |
| Population of persons with disabilities | Not available |
| Proportion of persons with disabilities to total population | 5.6 per cent (ESCAP 2006, Q 18) |
| definition of disability | Definition used in the Disability Welfare Act 2001 (ESCAP 2006, Q 19) |
| definition of persons with disabilities | “[A]ny person who, a. is physically crippled either congenitally or as result of disease or being a victim of accident, or due to improper or maltreatment or for any other reasons became physically incapacitated or mentally imbalanced, and b. as a result of such crippledness or mental impairedness, (i) has become incapacitated, either partially or fully; and (ii) is unable to lead a normal life.” (Bangladesh 2001, art. 3, para. I) |
| Employment rate of persons with disabilities | A study entitled“Employment Situation on (sic) Persons with Disabilities in Bangladesh” was conducted by an NGO in September 2002, and included 452 persons with disabilities who were employed or had the skills or education essential for employment. Of these respondents, 66 per cent were found to be self-employed. The government employed 5 per cent of the working respondents; non-governmental organizations employed 17 per cent. The rest were employed in the private sector (ESCAP 2006, Q 12.1) |
| Access to education | Not available (ESCAP 2006, Q 6/7.1) |
| Institutional framework | |
| National coordination mechanism or disability focal point | National Coordinating Committee under the Ministry of Social Welfare, established on 16 July 2001. This is supported by the National Executive Committee and also the district-level disability committees in each of the 64 administrative districts across the country (ESCAP 2004c, Q 1(ii)) |
| Number of members and composition of the mechanism | A total of 17 multisectoral members from Government and NGOs, including persons with disabilities (ESCAP 2006, Q 1(ii)) |
| Legislative and policy framework | |
| Mention on disability in constitution | “It shall be a fundamental responsibility of the State to attain, through planned economic growth, a constant increase of productive forces and a steady improvement in the material and cultural standard of living of the people, with a view to securing to its citizens- |
| … d. the right to social security, that is to say to public assistance in cases of undeserved want arising from … disablement ...” (Bangladesh 1972, part II, art. 15) | |
| comprehensive disability law | Disability Welfare Act (2001) (ESCAP 2006, Q 9(ii)) |
| Disabilitiy-specific anti discrimination law | No (ESCAP 2006, Q 10) |
| Sectoral disbility laws | No response provided (ESCAP 2006, Q 8(i)) |
| National plan of action on disability | Five-year National Action Plan on Disability (2006) (ESCAP 2006, Q 2(ii)) |
| National efforts to promote an Inclusive Society | |
| Employment quota scheme | 10 per cent quota for orphans and persons with disabilities in all jobs 1 per cent quota for disabled persons in all cadre service jobs of the State (ESCAP 2004c, Q 30a) |
| National accessibility standard | The Bangladesh National Building Code (1993) (ESCAP 2006, Q 13.1) |
| Standardized sign language | Sign-supported Bangla was developed by the Centre for Disability in Development, an NGO, in 2003. It is being developed and upgraded each year. Bangla Braille was reformed and revised in 1993 by the Ministry of Social Welfare (ESCAP 2006, Q 19.1) |
| ICT accessibility guideline | No (ESCAP 2006, Q 18.1) |
| Financial commitment | |
| Proportion of disability (social) spending to GDP or entire national budget | Not available |
| Annual budget allocated to the national coordination mechanism | No response provided (ESCAP 2006, Q 1(ii)) |
| Commitment to regional and international instruments on disability | |
| Signatory to the Proclamation of the Decade | 1993 (ESCAP 2004b) |
| Ratification of ILO Convention159 | No (ILO 2009) |
| Ratification or signatiory of the conventions on the Rights of Person with Disabilities, and its Optional Protocol | Signed the Convention on 9 May 2007 Ratified the Convention on 30 November 2007 Ratified Optional Protocol 12 May 2008 (United Nations 2009) |
| * Data refer to a year other than that specified. | |
Source: http://www.unescap.org/ESID/psis/disability/publications/glance/Disability_at_a_Glance2009.pdf
APCD Activities
Preparation for the Conference of South Asian Disability Forum (SADF), Bangladesh, 15-19 March 2011
