Please - Odhikar

Through the BHRAP project, Odhikar also conducts fact-finding missions and reports on human
rights violations, including arbitrary arrest and detention, torture in remand and other forms of
physical and verbal abuse committed by the law enforcement agency. Results of the activities
are regularly documented and disseminated to the media and directly to the relevant government
officials, agencies and ministries.
Odhikar's police station monitoring, it's investigations of abuse and advocacy of initiatives have
already gone through the report's highlighted specific cases--and the need for systematic reports
raising awareness among the general population and bringing pressure to bear on policymakers
and government official has been recognized and applied. For example, last year the Dhaka
Metropolitan Police institutionalized a Code of Conduct, something that Odhikar and other
human rights group advocated for. Odhikar's monitoring and fact-finding investigations had led
to complaints registered by police, charges being followed up and other actions to help
individuals to get access to justice and hold those responsible for human rights violation
accountable.
BHRAP partners are all engaged in some forms of advocacy. They work on advocacy to tackle
the human rights issues on a variety of levels in communities, in media, among policymakers
and government officials. Common and critical to all of these issues, no matter how varied they
may be, is a need of solid and reliable data. Police monitoring is an excellent source for securing
just this type of information. The information Odhikar provides through police monitoring and
investigation is used by national and international groups analyzing human rights in Bangladesh
and is extremely valuable for media reporting on human rights violations to highlight corruption
and also to show the challenges and constraints facing law enforcement agents so that the
effective and necessary reforms can be implemented. The focus of today's meeting on victim and
witness protection is chosen by Odhikar, based on a need identified by an ongoing monitoring
and investigation process.
BHRAP is proud to work with Odhikar and we look forward to seeing them further their
advocacy and take their monitoring investigation and documentation on human rights violation
the next step. To provide primary data on human rights abuses, to catalyze, to lobby for reform
needed, to provide a solid foundation to increase respect for human rights and to ensure that law
enforcement agencies are in the frontline of the defense of the human rights violation, the work
of organizations such as Odhikar are vital.
So, I'll just close by congratulating Odhikar on their important and difficult work, not only with
BHRAP in the last 3 years, but since their inception in the last 10 years. I am very much looking
forward to participating in today's discussion. Thank you.
Tariq Ul Hakim, Honorable Judge, Supreme Court of Bangladesh: Odhikar, with the
support of the Academy of Educational Development of the US Agency for International
Development, has been, for a long time, monitoring incidents of human rights abuses. One of
their findings is that victims and witnesses continue to remain in an environment of insecurity
and uncertainty, even after they take recourse under the protection of law. The laws in
Bangladesh do not have any specific practice for providing protection to victims and witnesses.
Victims are threatened of dire consequences by the perpetrators of crime if they file cases
against them. Similarly witnesses do not come forward to provide evidence against offenders
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Report 2005