“Human Demonstration” was held to mark the International Human Rights Day 2023, Demanding an end to Human Rights Violations in the Energy Sector and Demand for Renewable Energy Owned by Local Communities.

01 Jan 2024 | 7: 50 pm

Even though the right to energy is an integral part of universal human rights, many people’s livelihoods are being threatened to ensure that right. Many reasons are identified sea level rise, floods, heat waves, drought, desertification, fresh water scarcity and spread of tropical infectious diseases as some of the adverse effects of climate change, which directly and indirectly threatens human rights around the world and threatens the right to livelihood, safe drinking water and sanitation, food, health, shelter, self-determination, culture, work and development. Speakers made the above remarks at the “Human Demonstration” held on the occasion of International Human Rights Day 2023 on Saturday, 09 December 2023, at the historic CRB Chattogram in Chittagong, demanding the end of human rights protests in the energy sector and the demand for renewable energy owned by local communities.

Executive Director of ISDE Bangladesh and Vice President of CAB Central Committee S M Nazer Hossain, expressed solidarity in the agenda by demanding climate justice on Human Rights Day organized by non-governmental development organization ISDE Bangladesh, CAB Youth Group, BWGED (Bangladesh Working Group for Ecology and Development, Clean (Coastal Livelihood and Environmental Action Network), Joint Secretary of District Social Entrepreneurship Council Mohammad Jane Alam, President of CAB Sadarghat Thana unit Shaheen Chowdhury, President of CAB Pahardtali Thana Muktijoddha Harun Gafur Bhuyian, President of CAB Youth Group Abu Hanif Noman, CAB Youth Group Tania Sultana, Mohammad Raihan, Niloy Biswas, Abrarul Karim Nehal and others spoken the occasion.

The speakers said that most of the developed countries of the world are using fossil fuels for power generation. These power plants are destroying the environment and violating human rights. In the same way that the local population is suffering due to the acquisition of land for the establishment of power plants, the working laborers are also deprived of their human rights in various ways. Local landowners are being cheated by middlemen in acquisition. Local landowners are being cheated by middlemen in acquisition. Many families are displaced due to illegal land acquisition and many, including farmers and fishermen, are forced to change their occupation, which is a clear violation of human rights.

The speakers complained and said that the biggest example of violating the human rights of workers in the power sector is Chittagong’s Banskhali power plant. From 2016 to 2021, 12 people were killed in police firing while protesting for various demands, including payment of outstanding wages to coal-based power plant workers owned by S Alam Group and China’s Sepco3 and HTG Group. Also the working environment of the power plant is not at all favorable. They have to work in the power plant with their own protective equipment, local workers are given only first aid in case of injury.

Speakers also said that 50.4% of Bangladeshi women are engaged in domestic work and agriculture. According to local culture, women are directly engaged in cooking, caring for children and family members. They consume the maximum amount of fuel for household needs. But energy planning, implementation and distribution have nowhere to involve them, with only 2%-4% of land owned by women, women’s participation in power plant ownership, access to information and consultation is neglected. According to sources, only 8.3% of workers in the country’s fossil fuel companies are women and only 0.93% are women in decision-making positions.

 The speakers said that no more energy projects can be taken up on agricultural land or habitations, common people cannot be evicted from the habitations, the dividends of the projects should be paid regularly in place of the acquired ones, the participation of the locals and their opinions should be given importance before construction in any decision regarding the power plant, land acquisition To ensure transparency in process, determination and disbursement of compensation and procurement activities, Strict legal action should be taken against those concerned after investigating corruption at various stages of project.