No abstract

Bangladesh, being overly surrounded by rivers, is a highly flood-prone country. Geographical location and features make this country prone to Flash Floods in definite areas commonly known as Haor regions. During the monsoon, the community's children find it immensely difficult to go to schools since the water level rises and connecting roads get inundated. During a Flash Flood, they are denied by the disaster to continue their education at schools, resulting in dropouts, loss of academic years, and even social problems like early marriage. Vulnerable conditions rooted in fragile socio-economic condition, seasonal unemployment, economic hardship, along with attitudinal vulnerability, results in disastrous impacts when faced with Flash Floods. Children of the community are the worst sufferers as they are forced to leave schools which then traps them into a never-ending vicious loop of vulnerability and poverty. This paper adopts a method of reviewing relevant secondary documents and the authors' direct observation from their field visits to address the issues and way forward pertinent to continuing education in the Haor regions during disasters. The paper's findings suggest that poverty, marginalization, historical inequality etc., are the root causes of the progression of vulnerability in the areas of study. The paper further describes the impacts of disaster on student and institutional facility,ranging from an individual loss like dropouts to broken water and sanitation facility at schools. This article also points out critical specific options to be undertaken at the local and national for addressing this issue, i.e., creating a standardized manual to be used nationally.

The surge of Covid-19 pandemic had forced the governments all around the world to declare lockdown and other preventive measures to limit the spread of the virus. Although the outcome of such initiatives has positively contributed towards communities, it has also taken a disproportionate toll on women and girls in terms of their health and rights. The finding of this study is premised upon the interpretation of information from different relevant secondary sources. This review article explores the situation of women and girls during Covid-19 in a developing country like Bangladesh. The findings of the study suggest that, women and girls are the worst sufferer of COVID-19 pandemic. The societal constructed gender roles along with historical inequality and systematic disenfranchisement have added to their vulnerability substantially during this dire time. Women and girls have suffered both socially i.e., domestic violence; economically i.e., unemployment; and physically i.e., unaddressed sexual and reproductive health needs. However, the article also suggests plausible solutions to overcome the undesirable situation through undertaking a holistic approach towards safeguarding the health and rights of women in Bangladesh. Measures like economic empowerment through stimulus package, social protection through safety net programs along with need based innovative interventions from government, non-government and private agencies are expected to put a break on the ongoing gendered mishaps and augment the position of women and girls in the society.

No abstract