Muslim Women’s Right to Divorce and Gender Equality Issues in Bangladesh: A Proposal for Review of Current Laws

In Bangladesh, sharia law goes hand in hand with the statutory laws of the land. These laws are both conjointly used to regulate and monitor the issues of divorce among Muslims of the country. Orthodox Islamic laws provide husbands with the authority of issuing divorce or talaq to their wives known as Talaq-e-Tawfiz (popularly known as tawfiz) in the kabinnama (the written document of the contract of marriage). Women’s power to exercise the tawfiz, however, depends solely on the will of their husbands. Although Muslim women are capable of repudiating their marriages by the process of khula or mubarat, these are only executable under the free consent of their husbands. Also, the statutory laws of Bangladesh address Muslim women’s right to the dissolution of marriage by the intervention of the court, only under several grounds. The traditional interpretation of sharia law and the statutory laws of the country are both unwilling to establish Muslim women’s absolute right to renounce marriage as with their male counterparts. Current research reveals that this violation of gender equality and women’s rights generates female subordination in society and gives birth to numerous socio-legal complications

Muslim women\u27s right to divorce and gender equality issues in Bangladesh: a proposal for review of current laws

In Bangladesh, sharia law goes hand in hand with the statutory laws of the land. These laws are both conjointly used to regulate and monitor the issues of divorce among Muslims of the country. Orthodox Islamic laws provide husbands with the authority of issuing divorce or talaq to their wives known as Talaq-e-Tawfiz (popularly known as tawfiz) in the kabinnama (the written document of the contract of marriage). Women\u27s power to exercise the tawfiz, however, depends solely on the will of their husbands. Although Muslim women are capable of repudiating their marriages by the process of khula or mubarat, these are only executable under the free consent of their husbands. Also, the statutory laws of Bangladesh address Muslim women\u27s right to the dissolution of marriage by the intervention of the court, only under several grounds. The traditional interpretation of sharia law and the statutory laws of the country are both unwilling to establish Muslim women\u27s absolute right to renounce marriage as with their male counterparts. Current research reveals that this violation of gender equality and women\u27s rights generates female subordination in society and gives birth to numerous socio-legal complications

Improper labelling of manufacturing and expiry dates of food: a legal and regulatory study of food quality and food waste in Bangladesh

Maintaining the safety and quality of manufactured food is an important concern for producers, government and consumers in Bangladesh. The nutritional value of food gradually reduces over time, until it finally becomes unsafe to consume and may cause harm to health. Then again, consumers throw out a large amount of manufactured food after the expiry date, believing it is not safe to consume. Thus, proper labelling of manufacturing and expiry dates of food on packet can protect both the safety and quality of food and save a large amount of food from being wasted. The legislators of Bangladesh do not prescribe any rules or regulations for food producers, which obliges manufacturers to use scientific methods for identifying expiry dates. Moreover, food producers, importers and suppliers use unspecific and confusing terms to indicate the manufacturing and expiry dates of food. This study finds that the date labelling of manufactured food issue in Bangladesh is inadequately regulated, triggering confusion among consumers, manufacturers, sales staff and regulatory authorities. Regulatory loopholes in date labelling contribute to food waste and threaten public health. These issues warrant the enacting of a comprehensive law establishing an effective regulatory body to oversee date labelling of manufactured and processed food