In view to establish equal rights and dignity, a bill titled ‘Anti-Discrimination Act-2022’ was placed in the Jatiya Sangsad on Tuesday to prevent human rights violations.
Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq placed the bill in the House. The bill was also sent to the parliamentary standing committee on the respective ministry for further scrutiny.
The parliament session was held with Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in the chair.
The parliamentary standing committee on Law, Justice and ParliamentaryAffairs has been asked to submit its report before the parliament within next 30 days.
Earlier, the Cabinet has endorsed policy support and final approval to the draft of ‘Anti-Discrimination Act-2022’.
The approval was given at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, on January 17, this year.
As per the draft law it has been mentioned that inequalities have been eliminated worldwide through a number of international conventions.
In this context, the issues of elimination of inequality have been clearly mentioned (in the Act). This law has been brought in that light.
The parliament said that a monitoring committee would be formed in the light of the law. The committee will have its presence at various seams of the society---national, divisional, and so on.
The committee will monitor if any violation of human rights is occurring or not, across the country. A President will head the committee.
The Law Minister shall be the Chairman of the Central Committee, statutorily, and a Joint Secretary hailing from the legislative wing will be its member secretary. In this way, the government will form such committees as it deems necessary throughout the administrative units. The president will hold monitoring meetings at different times, it added.
It said: “An anti-discrimination cell will be formed. The cell will then form anti-discrimination national, divisional, district and other committees to prevent discriminatory activities, if any. And, it will provide immediate remedies.”
The draft law added that they need to create awareness among the people so that no discrimination takes place across the society.
“If anyone lodges a complaint, the district committee will investigate the matter within 30 days,” the law specified.
If the district committee fails to provide proper redress, the complainant could urge the divisional committee for an enquiry within 30 days of filing the complaint.
In case, the divisional committee fails, the national committee will investigate and take action after 45 days. If the aggrieved person files a case in the appropriate court, the case has to be disposed of within 90 days. If he fails to do so within 90 days, the case will have to be extended by a maximum of another 15 days, according to the bill.
