Bangladesh

The rights to freedom of speech and assembly are coming under sustained attack by Bangladesh’s increasingly authoritarian government. Bloggers and others espousing secular values have been killed or injured by extremist groups. Security forces continue enforced disappearances, killings, and arbitrary arrests with impunity. Bangladesh made some progress in ensuring better safety regulations in garment factories following the 2013 Rana Plaza building collapse, which killed thousands of workers. Government agencies continue to prosecute, and in some cases execute, those convicted of war crimes committed during the 1971 war of independence, despite concerns that the trials do not meet international standards. Bangladesh has the highest rate of marriage in the world for girls under 15.