Bangladesh, which is home to 170 million people, is important for its strategic location in the Bay of Bengal. It is one of the largest contributors to the UN peacekeeping forces and also a garment power house. The election was crucial for the world too especially for the Indo-pacific region as Bangladesh has a 500 km-long Indian Ocean coast.
Dhaka’s trusted partner has long been New Delhi. But in the last one decade, more regional and global powers have developed stakes in the country. The US policy towards Bangladesh is governed by its global as well as regional interests. In December 2021, the US government imposed visa restrictions and Global Magnitsky human rights sanctions on six senior officials of Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and former police Chief Benazir Ahmed for alleged human rights violations.
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In September 2023, the US announced that it would enforce more visa restrictions on government officials and politicians trying to undermine democratic election process in Bangladesh. The US has also blocked the entry of Bangladesh of its Democracy Summits.
Some quarters are of the opinion that the US is targeting Bangladesh to send a broad message of its policy priority of promoting democratic governance across the world, while others believe that its immediate purpose is to put pressure on Bangladesh to embrace its Asia-Pacific Strategy and keep the South Asian country away from China’s influence in the region. The Hasina government is pursuing a neutral foreign policy with respect to China, India and the US and has refrained from forging security alliance with any of them.
Notwithstanding its bids to chart an independent course in the domain of foreign policy, critics maintain that in addition to gross violation of human rights, democratic norms and practices have been undermined in Bangladesh since Hasina’s assumption of power in 2009. They allege that Hasina’s rule has been marked by repressive authoritarian measures against her political opponents, detractors and the media. The rights groups are concerned over the exponentially high number of arrests and convictions. They have also documented hundreds of cases of enforced disappearances and extra-judicial killings by the security forces for more than a decade.
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The Hasina government has fully denied the charges of abuses and killings but it also severely restricts entry of foreign journalists who want to investigate these allegations. Local journalists have refrained from investigating such allegations fearing for their safety. Reports suggest that the number of extra-judicial killings has dropped significantly after 2021 when the US government imposed sanctions on the RAB– Bangladesh’s notorious storm troopers. However, the limited US sanctions have not improved the overall human rights situation in Bangladesh. Hence, some opposition leaders have called for tougher action by the Western countries.
Bangladeshi rights activists say there is an ambience of fear, particularly while expressing dissent on any digital platform as the government invokes the draconian Digital Security Act (DSA) to imprison people. The DSA has often been used to silence critics and stifle free expression. Reports say more than a thousand cases are being registered against journalists, political opponents and rights activists since it was enacted in 2018. After strident opposition from various quarters, including the UNO, the AL government recently replaced the DSA with a new Cyber Security Act. But the rights activists have pointed out that the new act still retains repressive measures.
The increasing authoritarianism in Bangladesh under Hasina’s rule has been a key concern for the Western countries and international human rights groups. Bangladesh is not in a position to incur the wrath of the US and its allies for obvious reasons. The country’s booming readymade garment (RMG) industry is highly dependent on the US and EU for its sustenance. Any Western embargo will hit Bangladesh’s economy hard. The US has already hinted about the impending scenario.
Bangladesh’s RMG sector accounts for about 85% of the country’s total exports. The US is among the top export destination with around 20% of Bangladesh’s garments are sold every year. A member of the EU Parliament also said that the EU should hold Bangladesh accountable on the worsening democratic situation and considers withdrawing tariff-free access provided to products from the South Asian country. Bangladesh is the second-largest RMG exporter after China. As per reports, in 2023, it exported more than $45 billion worth of RMG, mainly to the EU and US.
Bangladesh apprehends that more sanctions could be imposed on its flourishing RMG sector contributing around 10% of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP) and the industry also employs over four million workers. Therefore, sanctions will not only adversely impact Bangladesh’s economy but also affect the geo-political balance in the region. As the threats of sanctions on Bangladesh’s labour issues loom large, there is a growing concern among the AL government, policy makers, garment manufacturers and industrial organisations.
Reports indicate that most of Bangladesh’s RMG factories have either failed or partially implemented international compliances and ethical practices, which triggered intense labour unrest in recent months. Bangladesh has experienced violent protests related to wage disputes in garment factories. The labour groups rejected the new wage structure set by the Bangladesh government’s Wage Board due to its lacunae in addressing their financial needs.
The garment workers’ agitation coincided with other anti-government demonstrations calling for Hasina’s resignation, cancellation of election schedule and holding of parliamentary polls under a non-partisan caretaker administration. Amid rising unrest in the country, the US expressed concerns over the prevailing repression of workers and trade union groups.
While delivering a speech at the “Rollout of the Presidential Memorandum on Advancing Workers Empowerment, Rights, and High Labour Standards Globally”, at San Francisco on November 16, 2023, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken hinted at sanctions on Bangladesh for poor labour rights. Blinken’s strongly-worded statement was made at a time when Bangladeshi RMG workers were clashing with the police and other law enforcement agencies demanding higher monthly wage.
In another development on November 20, the Bangladesh Embassy in Washington DC reportedly issued a warning to Dhaka that the country might face stringent measures, including sanctions, trade penalties and visa restrictions outlined in the US Presidential Memorandum on labour rights. During a recent visit to Dhaka, a team of EU also warned of tough measure on labour issues.
On November 13, a delegation of the European External Service (EEAS), Asia-Pacific Division, expressed “extreme displeasure” on labour rights standards during a meeting with Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. This is an ominous sign for Bangladesh which highly relies on the EU for sale of its RMG products.
The EU is the largest importer accounting for 58% of its total exports and 64% of the total apparel exports from Bangladesh which has been enjoying zero-tariff benefits under the EU’s Generalised System of Preference (GSP), which is a unilateral scheme wherein custom duty preferences or concessions are granted by developed countries to export of specified products from developing countries. Some quarters have raised the question why the Western nations that have enormous economic clout, allow the Hasina government to act with impunity while systematically undermining democratic institutions.