Bangladesh Country Report

Organization

Bangladesh Inter-religious Council for Peace and Justice (BICPAJ) is very small (about 100 members, 11 on the Executive Committee and a small office staff).

Address

14/20 Iqbal Road, Mohammedpur, Dhaka 1207, Bangladesh.

Phone: 8802-323630

Fax: 8802-81913123

Contact person: Bro Jarlath D'souza

Name of person submitting report: Lynnet Rita Martin

It is a peace education center and the Human Rights Program in Bangladesh. BICPAJ is interested in people as human beings - focuses mainly on issues of women, children, tribal matters and the environment. Its membership is open to all persons of goodwill. BICPAJ was founded in 1983 in Dhaka by a group of concerned individuals with the aim of promoting fraternal feelings among people of all castes and creeds. It is an inter-faith membership organization and founder member of two national human rights coalitions: CCHRB (human rights action groups) and BSAF (child rights).

Aims of the Peace Education Centre

  • to be a centre for peace meetings
  • to be a centre for training, mediation, conflict resolution, non-violence, peace studies
  • to be a centre for research on peace and non-violence
  •  to be a centre for documentation on peace issues (local, national and international)

BICPAJ attempts to achieve this aim through social service mainly in the form of active involvement in adult literacy campaigns. BICPAJ sees adult literacy as the key to social development and human understanding in Bangladesh.

BICPAJ believes that weak human relationships and insufficient awareness of religious values are major causes for the spread of social evils such as conflict and violence. Therefore stresses the use of the spiritual force of religion to combat social ills. Its activity also includes the discussion and sharing on the precepts and practices of major religions such as Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism and Christianity in Bangladesh. BICPAJ joins in campaigns against social evils and violations of human rights, so that peace and justice can be established all over the world.

In the very recent past BICPAJ has also focused on land mines and The Hague Appeal for Peace and also taken part in a world level meeting on the international debt crises.

Services Offered

  • Meeting room
  • Training facilities
  • Reading and study room

Training offered

  • Teachers for conscientization and adult literacy
  • Conflict resolution and mediation
  • Children and youth for non-violence
  • Non-violent solutions in women's and tribal issues

Plans for the near future

  • Training and publishing for small groups, mostly young people

Significant challenges

  • Young people's concerns about the future and world peace and women's liberation issues

Other significant challenges

  • Role of Islam in the world
  • Global debt crises