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Past Events

Enduring Influence of the 1971 Bangladesh War on Women in Bangladesh

University of California Berkeley Chowdhury Centre Seminar
Date: Tuesday 30th November 2021
Time: 17:00 - 18:30 (GMT) 
Professor Asadullah, Dr Wahhaj and Dr Mitra will present new research on the events of the 1971 Bangladesh war on marriage and fertility in Bangladesh.
 
 

Supporting Adolescent Girls in the Time of Covid-19

Innovations for Poverty Action Policy Roundtable
Date: Thursday 8th April 2021
Time: 12:00 - 13:30 (GMT) 
Dr Wahhaj will present findings from two recent surveys designed to impact the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on children's schooling and early marriage in Bangladesh.
 
 

Covid-19, Schooling and Learning in Bangladesh

Brac Institute of Governance and Development  
Date: Thursday 25th June 2020
Time: 16:00 - 17:00 
Professor Asadullah presents findings from a nationwide survey in Bangladesh on educational disruption for older primary and secondary school students caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
 
 

Can Child Marriage Law Change Attitudes and Behaviour? Experimental Evidence from an Information Intervention in Bangladesh

Oxford CSAE Development Economics Webinar  
Date: Wednesday 6th May 2020
Time: 15:00 - 16:30 Bangladesh Standard Time
 
 

Round Table Discussion on "Child Marriage Restraint Act 2017: Implementation and Present Context"

organised by BLAST, Population Council, University of Kent, Malaya University 
Venue: Daily Star Conference Centre, Dhaka
Date: Tuesday 30th April 2019
Time: 10:00 - 14:00 
The symposium will present new evidence on child marriage practices in rural Bangladesh
in the past two years. This includes new research on the impact of Section 19 of the Act
on social attitudes towards child marriage, undertaken as a joint study by the University
of Kent and the University of Malaya, funded by the UK Department for International Development.
Participants – including expert practitioners, researchers, and rights activists – are expected
to reflect on progress in eradicating child marriage since the enactment of the new law in 2017,
assess new evidence and insights from the field, and explore possible future directions for 
policymakers and other stakeholders engaged in tackling child marriage.
 
 

Child Marriage in Behavioural Economics: Nudge, Push, Shove or Sledge-Hammer?

Panel Session at the Bangladesh Development Initiative Conference, 2019 
Venue: Yale School of Management, Yale University, New Haven
Date: Saturday 24th March 2019
Time: 15:00 - 16:25 
In many parts of the world, including Bangladesh, adolescent girls face strong
social pressures to marry from the onset of puberty. Recent research has established
that the practice of early marriage has adverse consequences not only for the women
who experience it but also for the next generation of children. But there remains
wide-ranging debate among policymakers and researchers about the most cost-effective
strategies for tackling the issue. While there is a broad consensus among stakeholders
about the proximate causes of early marriage – including poverty, vulnerability to
adverse shocks, and lawlessness – there is less understanding of the deep drivers:
why the practice has persisted in some societies while others with similarly patriarchal
traditions have managed to eradicate it in recent decades. The panel will explore the evidence 
available to date on what works and debate policy options taking rigorous evidence 
into account.
 
 

"Marriage, Work and Migration: The Role of Infrastructure Development in Gender Norms"

by Dr Zaki Wahhaj 
Venue: DK4, Block H11, Faculty of Economics and Administration, University of Malaya
Date: Thursday 8th November 2018
Time: 12:30 - 14:00 
The seminar is part of the joint seminar series organised by the World Bank and
the Faculty of Economics and Administration at the University of Malaya in
Kuala Lumpur. Dr Wahhaj will present findings from joint research with Drs Amirapu
and Asadullah on the impact of a large transport infrastructure development project
in Bangladesh on labour and marriage markets and female long-distance migration.
 

Conference on "Men & Women: Towards Gender Equality"

with participation by Professor Niaz Asadullah 
Venue: Center for Foundation Studies in Science (PASUM), University of Malaya
Date: Saturday 29th September 2018
Time: 08:30 - 17:30 
 The conference is jointly organised by the University of Malaya and the charity
"We Empower" to tackle issues related to gender inequality in Malaysia including
sexual harassment in the workplace and female child marriage, and the gap
between the formal law and existing cultural practices.
 

"Marriage, Work and Migration: The Role of Infrastructure Development in Gender Norms"

by Professor Niaz Asadullah 
Venue: Room 106, Zhonghui Building, Jinan University, Guangzhou, China
Date: Tuesday 13th March 2018
Time: 09:00 - 13:30 
The workshop is jointly organised by the Institute of Economic and Social Research (IESR)
at Jinan University and the Global Labor Organization. Professor Asadullah will present findings
from joint research with Drs Amirapu and Wahhaj on the impact of a large transport infrastructure
development project in Bangladesh on labour and marriage markets and female long-distance
migration.
 
 

"Early Marriage, Social Networks and the Transmission of Norms"

by Professor Niaz Asadullah and Dr Zaki Wahhaj
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) Seminar
Venue: BIDS Conference Room, Agargaon, Sher-e-Bangla Nagar, Dhaka
Date: Sunday, 16th October 2016
Time: 15:00 - 17:00 
We will present findings on a study on the consequences of early marriage in rural Bangladesh based on the 2014 WiLCAS survey, including its role in the transmission of traditional gender norms. The seminar will be hosted by BIDS Director General, Dr K A S Murshid.

 

"New Narratives on Women’s Life Choices in Bangladesh: Education, Marriage and Economic Participation"

organised by James P Gant School of Public Health and Department of Economics and Social Sciences, BRAC University
Venue: BRAC University Auditorium, Bldg-2, 66 Mohakhali, Dhaka
Date: Saturday, 15th October 2016
Time: 09:30 - 12:00 
"Pushed or Pulled? Poverty, Social Stigma, Manufacturing Growth and Female Employment in Bangladesh" by Professor M Niaz Asadullah
"Child Marriage in Climate Vulnerable Coastal Bangladesh: Qualitative Evidence from Eight Villages" by Mr Kazi Mukitul Islam
"Dilemmas, Desires and Agency: Adolescent Girls and Education in four regions of Bangladesh" by Dr Samia Huq
“Emerging themes and ideas on early marriage in urban slums in Dhaka” by Ms Seama Mowri

 

"Women’s Participation in the Economy: Policy Challenges for South Asia"

by Professor Niaz Asadullah and Dr Zaki Wahhaj
Bangladesh Public Administration Training Centre (BPATC) International Seminar
Venue: BPATC ITC Building, Savar, Dhaka
Date: Monday, 10th October 2016
Time: 10:00 - 14:00 
Women's paid work participation in South Asian countries like India, Pakistan and Bangladesh remains low despite significant improvements in their educational status, poverty reduction, creation of new service sector and industrial jobs and improved physical access to markets. This suggests that there may be important social barriers holding back women's entry into market work. This seminar will review the existing explanations for the problem by describing some of the harmful traditional practices in South Asian countries. Besides commenting on the role played by education and socio-economic status of women, the seminar will focus on the role of social identity (e.g. religion, caste), the practice of purdah (female seclusion) and child marriage and their link with women's paid work uptake. At the same time we will highlight the new opportunities created for women following rapid economic growth, particularly in India and Bangladesh, which have possibly led to new purdah and "female outside mobility" norms.
The seminar will be chaired by the Rector at BPATC, Mr A L M Abdur Rahman.
 

"Child Marriage in Bangladesh - Current Situation and Potential Solutions"

by Professor Niaz Asadullah and Dr Zaki Wahhaj
East West University Public Seminar
Venue: East West University Faculty Lounge, Aftabnagar, Dhaka
Date: Thursday 3rd September 2015
Time: 16:30 - 18:00 
We will present findings from the 2014 WiLCAS survey and the 2012 BRAC ADP survey
to provide a picture of the current situation regarding child marriage in Bangladesh,
and discuss potential policies to address the issue from a historical perspective.
 
Mr Asaduzzaman Noor, MP and Minister of Cultural Affairs will be the Chielf Guest
at the event. Mahbub Ara Begum Gini, MP and member of the Parliamentary Standing
Committee on Women's and Children's Affairs will attend as special guest.
 

"Ending Child Marriage - Empowering Girls or Strengthening the Rule of Law"

by Professor Niaz Asadullah and Dr Zaki Wahhaj
BRAC Research and Evaluation Division Public Seminar
Venue: BRAC University Auditorium, Bldg-2, 66 Mohakhali, Dhaka
Date: Wednesday 2nd September 2015
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
In light of the recent debate regarding proposed changes to age-of-marriage laws,
we will present findings from the 2014 WiLCAS survey and the 2012 BRAC ADP survey
on early marriage and women's voice in their own marriage decisions and explore
their implications for policy.
 
Syed Saad Andaleeb, Vice Chancellor, BRAC University, will be Chief Guest at the event. 
Syeda Rizwana Hassan, Advocate, Supreme Court and Chief Executive of Bangladesh
Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), and Dr Binayak Sen, Research Director of
Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS), will attend as special guests.
 

"Learning Crisis in South Asia" 

by Professor Niaz Asadullah
BRAC Research and Evaluation Division Public Seminar
Venue: BRAC Centre Conference Room, Dhaka
Date: Monday 24th August 2015
Time: 10:00 - 13:00
The presentation will share preliminary results on the state of student learning
in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh drawing upon insights from WiLCAS 2014 
and BRAC's Adolescent Development Progamme.
 

"Early Marriage and Social Norms: Theory and Evidence from Bangladesh"

by Dr Zaki Wahhaj
UNICEF WCARO Special Seminar 
Venue: UNICEF WCARO 4th floor meeting room, Almadies, Dakar
Date: Monday 23rd June 2015
Time: 14:00 - 16:00
The presentation will focus on the role of social norms in sustaining early marriage
and findings from the WiLCAS 2014 survey in Bangladesh and discuss implications 
for programmes and policies related to adolescent development in developing countries.
 

"Female Education, Economic Participation and Adolescent Development in Bangladesh"

by Dr Zaki Wahhaj
IRD and LARTES Joint Seminar 
Venue: LARTES, Camp Jeremy, Avenue Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar
Date: Friday 10th June 2015
Time: 10:00 - 12:00
During the last twenty years, the secondary school enrollment for girls has risen sharply
in Bangladesh and has achieved parity with the enrollment rate for boys. This achievement
is generally associated with a number of educational reforms including stipend schemes
which were launched in Bangladesh in the 1990's as well as increased opportunities for women
in the labour market. During the same period, Bangladesh has experienced a sharp decline in
fertility and increased participation in higher education by girls. 
The presentation will focus on changes in schooling, marriage, fertility and employment of
adolescent girls in Bangladesh over a 20-year period and propose hypotheses for the anomalies
we observe in the trends. The wider objective of this analysis is to gather insights that would
enable donors and policy-makers to formulate more effective programmes for adolescent
development not only in Bangladesh but also in other parts of the world.