Reaching the marginalised and socially isolated sex worker and sweeper communities of Tangail, Bangladesh

Sex workers and sweepers are socially isolated in Bangladesh. Sex workers are not economically deprived, but social elites or political forces as well as the religious leaders most of the time take stance against the sex workers. Though sex workers are comparatively affluent, they can’t live in the society with dignity and pride due to social stigma and isolation. They are also deprived of basic human rights including water, sanitation and hygiene services. On the other hand, sweepers are extremely poor and socially indispensible. They clean the shit of thousands, but their WaSH facilities are unhygienic and many times unusable. WaterAid in its Inclusion programme included both these communities and provided special support to ensure their WaSH rights in the respective communities. In this briefing paper, we will try to explore the different level of software and hardware interventions we have taken in our programme in different communities namely the sex workers and the sweepers of Tangail district

Inclusive sanitation: breaking down barriers

During implementation of WaterAid Bangladesh’s current project it became evident that certain populations were unintentionally being excluded – people with disabilities were one of these groups. Social stigmas and access difficulties meant that they were not present in CBOs or hygiene promotional sessions and excluded from decision making activities, resulting in continued open defecation and other unhygienic behaviours. The linkages between poverty and disability are strong, with disability being both the cause and effect of poverty. Without specific activities to address the requirements of people with disabilities the cycle of poverty remains, further exacerbated by continued exclusion from services such as health care, education and water and sanitation. This paper concentrates on the barriers faced by people with disabilities in accessing water and sanitation services and explains how through WaterAid Bangladesh’s recent initiative, a greater understanding on breaking these barriers is strengthening the future interventions

Accessibility audit for mainstreaming the rights of the persons with disabilities in Bangladesh

Accessibility audit is an integral component of ensuring rights of the persons with disabilities. WaterAid Bangladesh along with a Disabled Persons’ Organization, Bangladesh Society for the Change and Advocacy Nexus (BSCAN) conducted accessibility audit in twenty important buildings of the two major cities of Bangladesh. The main objective of the study was to assess the buildings by persons with different kinds of disabilities and share the findings with the authorities and with media so that they realize the importance of accessibility audit before designing and building any infrastructure considering the rights of the persons with disabilities and also to make sure these facilities have universal accessibility

sj-pdf-2-imr-10.1177_03000605231215168 - Supplemental material for A longitudinal prospective study of septoplasty impact on headache and allergic rhinitis in patients with septal deviation

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-2-imr-10.1177_03000605231215168 for A longitudinal prospective study of septoplasty impact on headache and allergic rhinitis in patients with septal deviation by Shanila Feroz, Muhammad Hamza Dawood, Sheza Sohail, Muhammad Daniyal, Ayesha Zafar, Ukashah Bin Shahid and Shamim Ahmed in Journal of International Medical Research</p

sj-pdf-1-imr-10.1177_03000605231215168 - Supplemental material for A longitudinal prospective study of septoplasty impact on headache and allergic rhinitis in patients with septal deviation

Supplemental material, sj-pdf-1-imr-10.1177_03000605231215168 for A longitudinal prospective study of septoplasty impact on headache and allergic rhinitis in patients with septal deviation by Shanila Feroz, Muhammad Hamza Dawood, Sheza Sohail, Muhammad Daniyal, Ayesha Zafar, Ukashah Bin Shahid and Shamim Ahmed in Journal of International Medical Research</p