To foster safe, dignified, and accountable working environments across all organizations, a daylong training titled ‘Building a Strong Safeguarding Culture in NGOs’ was held today, Saturday, at the Secretariat office of Agrojatra Nari Forum in Mohammadpur, Dhaka.
The training was facilitated by Safeguarding Specialist S. M. Mostafizur Rahman and brought together professionals and representatives from 15 non-governmental organizations. Designed to be participatory and practice-oriented, the workshop featured interactive group discussions, practical case studies, and peer-to-peer knowledge sharing to highlight actionable ways to implement institutional safeguarding mechanisms.
Zakia Shishir, Convener of Agrojatra Nari Forum, delivered the welcome address. Among other distinguished speakers were Mehnaz Mala, Member Secretary of the Forum, and Aminul Islam Bokul, Chief Executive of Earth Development Foundation (EDF). The sessions covered core safeguarding concepts, workplace risk identification and prevention strategies, institutional policy formulation, safe reporting and confidential response mechanisms, leadership accountability, and methods for nurturing an inclusive work culture.
Note that, according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) and various institutional research studies, 60 to 80 percent of workers across Bangladesh’s formal and informal sectors face psychological harassment, discrimination, or sexual harassment at some point in their careers. Although the High Court Division of the Supreme Court issued clear directives in 2009 mandating a 5-member Anti-Sexual Harassment Committee and a dedicated complaint box in every workplace and educational institution, the vast majority of organizations have either failed to establish them or leave them inactive. Furthermore, due to social stigma, fear of job loss, and the lack of robust whistleblowing and confidential reporting systems, employees often feel unprotected, leaving most incidents unreported.
The speakers further observed that while international organizations operating in the country generally uphold Child Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) policies, practical compliance and enforcement at the local and grassroots NGO levels remain largely inadequate. In line with momentum toward upholding ILO Convention 190 (ILO C190) on eliminating violence and harassment in the world of work, the speakers stressed that institutionalizing effective, survivor-centered safeguarding policies is an urgent priority for Bangladesh’s development sector.