bdnews24.com :
A report published by a global watchdog finds Bangladesh’s justice system ‘inefficient’ with the courts afflicted by corruption and political interference.
The ‘Rule of Law Index 2014’ published on Thursday by the World Justice Project (WJP) said the country had deficiencies in most aspects of implementing the rule of law. The worst score was in corruption and in civil and criminal justice, out of the eight indicators.
According to the report, Bangladesh ranked 92nd globally and 4th among six South Asian countries in overall rule of law performance.
WJP’s index is a quantitative assessment tool designed to offer a comprehensive picture of the extent to which countries adhere to the rule of law in practice.
According to the index, Bangladesh stands at 92nd position in civil justice, 94th in criminal justice, 95th in absence of corruption, 80th in constraints on government powers, 85th in open government, 87th in fundamental rights, 76th in order and security, 91st in regulatory enforcement.
WJP finds the courts and administrative agencies riddled with corruption and political interference.
The report, however, said Bangladesh’s best performance is in the area of order and security, where it ranked 3rd in south Asia and 17th among low-income countries.
The country has lower crime rates though the use of violence to redress personal grievances remains as a concern, according to WJP.
“Protection of property rights is stronger than in other lower-middle income countries,” reads the report.
The Washington-based organisation, identified human rights violations and police abuses as significant problems in Bangladesh.
The Rule of Law Index 2014 was prepared based on over 500 variables drawn from the assessments of more than 100,000 household and expert surveys in 99 countries.
“Effective rule of law helps reduce corruption, alleviate poverty, improve public health and education, and protect people from injustices and dangers large and small,” said WJP founder and CEO William H Neukom.
