Urban Informal Economy in Bangladesh: A Case Study on Mobile Vegetable Vendor in Dhaka City

The informal economic sector is very important for the economy of any developing country. As a developing country, informal economy plays a significant role to Bangladesh’s labor market. But this sector is still undernourished. This research was conducted to understand the contribution of the urban informal sector at a micro scale. This paper aimed at revealing the contribution of vegetable selling to improve socioeconomic status of vegetable vendors and the obstacles they face to run their business. Research data was collected through in-depth interviews with vegetable vendors who engaged in vegetable selling by rickshaw vans in Dhaka city. Results from this study found significant contributions of vegetable selling at a household level including: continuation of children’s education, improved food intake, access to information technology, and the savings generation. Informal businessmen also face several challenges that set back to reap maximum outcomes from this sector. Therefore, it is urgent to take informal economy-friendly initiatives at a macro-level to patronize this sector for getting optimum benefit from it

Womenas Vulnerabilities Due to the Impact of Climate Change: Case from Satkhira Region of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is recognized as one of the worst affected countries of the world due to climate induced disasters The disadvantageous geographical setting along with various socioeconomic factors is triggering the vulnerabilities of people The impacts of climate change are multifaceted and disproportionately distributed regardless of race caste ethnicity sex and level of income The perception and impact of climate change is completely gender differentiated Women are ever more vulnerable to the impact of climate change than men because they have very limited access to financial resources land education health services and in decision making process All these insufficiencies make women vulnerable to climate induced disaster than men This study has found an appealing relationship between climate change impact on women s livelihoods and health Climate change adversely impact on women s livelihoods and health and create extra burden on wome

POPULATION AND LAND COVER DYNAMICS OF SUNDARBANS IMPACT ZONE IN BANGLADESH

Sundarbans is the largest mangrove forest of the world that lies in Bangladesh and India. This paper examined the correlation among population dynamics of Sundarbans impact zone (SIZ) from 1974 to 2011; impact of climate change on the forest; and changes in land cover of the forest from 1973 to 2010. Population size of SIZ was increased by 1.6 times between 1974 and 2011, whereas decreased by 2% during 2001 to 2011. During 1973 to 2010, water bodies, barren land and vegetated land reduced by 7.35%, 49.56% and 15.92% respectively; while grass land increased by 228.14% during the same period. But both population size and vegetated land declined during 2001 and 2011. This was due to the landfall of two severe cyclones in 2007 and 2009 through Sundarbans which resulted thousands of human casualties and out migration, and destruction of the forest. In addition, anthropogenic interventions like low flow from Ganges River and policy constraints also contributed to the demolition of Sundarbans. Thus, population growth, climate change and anthropogenic interventions are playing a decisive role to the depletion of forest resources from the Sundarbans mangrove forest

Gendered perceptions of climate change and agricultural adaptation practices: A systematic review

The present systematic review was undertaken to obtain a detailed understanding of how climate change perceptions and adaptation differ globally by gender and different intersections among the farmers. Findings from 41 studies selected following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) protocol, mostly from Africa and Asia, suggest that climate change perceptions and adaptation are highly contextual and considerably varied by gender and different intersections. Existing gender role, farmers’ age, education, knowledge, marital status, intra-household power structure, religion, social status and ethnicity were intersecting with gender and climate change perception and adaptation. Apart from gender and intersectionality, access to resources, social network and local institutions are found to be important correlates of adaptation strategies by farmers. While agriculture being feminized, mere technological changes are not conclusive to climate change adaptation rather socio-cultural, structural and political changes in inevitable. Female farmers were tend to be more concerned and fatalistic about climate change which reminds us the urgency of culturally appropriate climate change communication to obtain informed decision regarding climate change. Future climate change research could be more gender transformative by exploring the existing inequalities lying in different intersections of gender rather than highlighting binary gender differences only

Undergraduate Student’s Stress, Anxiety, Depression and their Coping styles during Covid-19

Introduction: COVID-19 was responsible for widespread disturbance throughout the educational system and was harmful in a variety of ways. In particular with regard to the state of a student’s psychological health. Purpose: This study examines the relationship between psychological distress (depression, anxiety, and stress) and coping strategies among the students of a private university in Bangladesh during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methodology: A cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted from September 2020 to December 2021 on 951 respondents using the DASS-21 and Brief-COPE questionnaires. Results: The majority of students were experiencing mild to extremely severe depression (75.8%), anxiety (88.5%), and stress (79.1%). The level of stress (p<.001), anxiety (p<.001), and depression (p=.23) was significantly higher among the female students compared with male students. This study also highlights the coping strategies of students. However, sex differences were not profound in adopting coping strategies. The results also showed significant correlation between some Brief-COPE measures, such as acceptance and self-blame (r=.708, p<.001); use of informational support and emotional support (r=.599, p<.001). Conclusion: As the prevalence of mental health disorders was found to be higher among private university students, university authorities should seek necessary assistance from mental health professionals to support their students in overcoming psychological distress not only related to the pandemic but also related to their day-to-day life activities

Communication exposure of sub-assistant agriculture officers (SAAOs) towards e-agriculture in Khulna district of Bangladesh

The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of communication exposure of the Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officers towards e-agriculture in Khulna district of Bangladesh. Study was conducted in the five selected upazilas of Khulna city viz., Rupsa, Dighalia, Phultala, Dumuria and Batiaghata which consist of 108 agricultural blocks. A sample of 100 Sub-Assistant Agriculture Officers (SAAOs) was selected from these blocks. Data were collected following a structured pretested interview schedule. Findings revealed that most 60% of the SAAOs had low communication exposures to e-agriculture. Correlation analysis indicates that age, income and service experience had negative significant relationship with communication exposures of SAAOs to e-Agriculture. Training exposure and knowledge on e-agriculture had positive significant relationship with their communication exposures towards e-agriculture. The enter method of regression analysis revealed that knowledge on e-agriculture, training exposure and monthly income described 77.5 percent variation in the communication exposure of SAAOs. The estimates indicated that knowledge on e-Agriculture had strongest (β=0.479) contribution to the variance of communication exposure to e-Agriculture. On the other hand, monthly income had contributed to the variance of communication exposure of SAAOs towards e-Agriculture in negative direction (β=-0.156). Mobile phone was the highest preferred device in using e-Agricultural media by the SAAOs. “Unfamiliarity of extension workers with e-agriculture application” was the main personal constraint and “lack of training on e-agriculture” was the main organizational constraint which might have led to low communication exposure of SAAOs towards e-agriculture

Clinico-pathological profile of breast cancer patients in a radiation therapy centre

Background: The aim of the study was to evaluate the clinico-pathological characteristics of patients with breast cancer at the Radiation Center of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), a tertiary‑care cancer center in Dhaka, Bangladesh.   Methods: This descriptive study was conducted from March 2021 to February 2022 where patients receiving radiotherapy for breast cancer were included. Data were collected from face-to-face interviews with patients and from their investigation reports. Data regarding age, presenting symptoms, histological type, tumor size, involvement of regional nodes, hormonal receptor status, and human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) amplification were recorded and then analyzed. Results: The mean age of the patients was 52.53 years. Most of the patients (93%) were multiparous and 62.24% were postmenopausal. The most common symptom was breast lump (91.6%). Infiltrating ductal carcinoma and lobular carcinoma were seen in 136 (95.1%) and 7 (4.9%) cases respectively. The TNM stage distribution was stage I, 6 (4.2%); stage II, 52 (36.36%); stage III, 76 (53.15%); and stage IV, 9 (6.29%). Locally advanced breast cancer constituted 42.66% of the cases. Among the patients 90 (62.94%) patients were ER/PR positive and 42 (29.37%) patients were HER2 positive. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) constituted 25.17% (36) of the study population. All receptors were positive in 25 patients (17.48%). Conclusions: Majority of our patients receiving breast radiotherapy at our center are middle aged and have advanced disease. TNBC and HER2 positive breast cancer are more common in our population

Experiences of intimate partner violence among the currently married Rohingya women in Bangladesh: Perceived causes, mental health consequences and help seeking behavior

Our study seeks to gain insights into Rohingya women’s experiences with intimate partner violence (IPV), its causes, and their help-seeking behaviour. This article provides empirical evidence on the pattern of IPV in Rohingya camps in Bangladesh, drawing from qualitative interviews with currently married Rohingya women aged 16-45 years (n=20). We adopted the thematic analysis technique for the data analysis,  in which themes and subthemes were categorized to explore the Rohingya women’s experiences of IPV and their help seeking behaviors to cope with IPV. The findings of our study suggest that IPV is highly prevalent in the Rohingya camps, and the respondents experienced psychological, controlling behavior and physical violence by their intimate partners. This study revealed multiple reasons behind the IPV in the Rohingya community, including early marriage, use of drugs/alcohol by the husband, dowry, extramarital affairs, gambling habits of husband, preferences for sons, and polygamy. It has been seen that survivor women's coping mechanisms are their willpower, acceptance, self-time, hopeful mentality, and emotional and family attachment. The respondents preferred to seek help from family members and NGOs. Despite widespread IPV in the Rohingya community, most of the women want to live with their current intimate partner. Therefore, interventions should respect women’s priorities to end violence. Awareness-raising programs regarding the rights of women should be promoted at the community level to sensitize men and women of all ages

COPING WITH NATURAL DISASTERS: A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY WITH PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES IN THE COASTAL ZONE OF BANGLADESH

Coastal zone of Bangladesh is highly vulnerable to different nature induced hydrological and climatological disasters. Disaster disproportionately affects a different group of populations. Among them, “people with disabilities” (PWDs) regardless of their gender face severe challenges in a disaster situation. The response mechanisms of disabled people in disaster context are also different. This paper aimed to examine the coping strategies of PWDs with a natural disaster in the coastal zone of Bangladesh. We conducted a cross-sectional survey among 150 disabled people from Mongla sub-district, Rampal sub-district and Sharankhola sub-district of Bagerhat district. Most of the respondents (60%) did not receive any training on disaster preparedness but the majority of them (88%) had knowledge on the location of the nearest disaster shelters and took shelter at government listed centers before or during the disaster. They were not satisfied with the facilities and services of those disaster shelters. Nearly two-thirds (64%) of the respondents received disaster forecasting through electronic media. More than one-fifth of the respondents (22.7%) changed their occupations after a major disaster and one-fourth of the respondents (26.7%) were displaced or migrated from their original house as a consequence of the disaster. Although disabled people are one of the most vulnerable groups in disaster milieu, they have drawn limited attention by the policymakers, academicians and development organizations. This paper provides few coping strategies of disabled people that will help the policymakers to think and take disabled friendly measures in policy documents and development interventions