Speakers at a programme on Sunday urged the government to clarify the definition of 'discrimination' in the proposed Anti-Discrimination Act 2022 for its better implementation.
They also favoured establishing a separate commission to observe the activities, carried out under the act, which will come to force shortly.
These views were expressed at a media briefing, organised virtually by the Citizen's Platform for SDGs, to give its response on the act.
Manusher Jonno Founda-tion (MJF) Executive Direc-tor Shaheen Anam was the chief guest of the programme, presided over by Citizen's Platform for SDGs Convener Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya.
Nagorik Uddyog Chief Executive Zakir Hossain, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST) Executive Director Sara Hossain, Centre for Peace and Justice of BRAC University Senior Fellow Faustina Pereira, Supreme Court lawyer Dr Shahdeen Malik, and Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman also spoke on the occasion.
In her speech, Ms Anam said different human rights and civil society platforms have long been advocating for enacting an anti-discrimination act to address widespread inequality.
Praising the government for placing the bill in the parliament recently, she said, "Now it is our goal to see whether or not the act reflects people's expectations."
Dr Bhattacharya said visible political will, efficient administration, and civil surveillance are required for appropriate implementation of the act.
Stating that there is no specific provision of punishment in the proposed act, Zakir Hossain said it would be easier to implement the act, if the provision of punishment is included.
Meanwhile, Sara Hossain said there are some problems regarding the definition of discrimination, which needs to be addressed properly for remedying inequality.
Referring to discriminatory provisions of some existing laws, she noted that due to legal discrimination, a woman could not become a marriage registrar a few months ago.
However, she praised the government for enacting the proposed law, which would pave the way to dissolve different types of inequalities.
Dr Zaman said the structural definition of inequality should include the people subjected to mental illness, racism and acid-burn.
Besides, the act discussed about the legal owners of lands, but skipped the issue of indigenous communities that own lands in a traditional way.
He proposed to form a commission to oversee implementation of the act.
The Anti-discrimination Act Bill 2022 was presented in the parliament by Law Minister Anisul Huq on April 05.
The proposed act will bar individuals from committing discrimination against others on the basis of religion, caste, race, language, age, gender, and physical or mental disabilities.
The bill will now be scrutinised by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs within 30 days of its placement in the parliament.
