ANNUAL REPORT 2011 This is the third Annual Report of the NHRC, but the second report filed by the reconstituted Commission. The report provides an account of NHRC activities during 2011, focusing on the promotion and protection of economic, social and cultural rights along with civil and political rights. The report highlights Commission achievements, i n c l u d i n g b e i n g a c c re d i te d by t h e International Coordination Committee for NHRIs and gaining membership in the Asia Pacific Forum, as well as progress made in addressing human rights violations. The Commission has finalized its 5-year strategic plan (2010-2015) through a very extensive consultation with stakeholders, and has identified the major areas of human rights violations on which the NHRC will focus its efforts. Bangladesh has ratified most of the core human rights treaties and protocols, including the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). However, these instruments must be incorporated properly into domestic law and reporting procedures must be improved. It should also be mentioned that with respect to legal compliance with CRC and its two Optional Protocols (one regarding the involvement of children in armed conflict and the other on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography), there remain some challenges and further improvements are necessary. The Government of Bangladesh has also adopted the National Child Development Policy 2011 and prepared draft amendments to the Child Act of 1974. However, relevant clauses of the Labour Law 2006 and the National Policy for the Elimination of Child Labour must also be amended. In order to expedite the protection and promotion of child rights in Bangladesh, the Commission established the Child Rights Committee, comprising NHRC members, representatives of UN organs, national and international NGOs and relevant Government 10 actors. The Commission’s Child Rights Committee is in close contact with the Government, urging officials to pursue the amendment of these laws and formulation of all such policies to ensure conformity with CRC and other international rules as well as the Bangladesh Constitution. Among other instruments, the ratification of CEDAW and a d o p t i o n o f t h e N a t i o n a l Wo m e n Development Policy are very positive steps. But as a result of Bangladesh’s formal reservations to CEDAW, the property rights of women, protection of women from violence and true empowerment of women are still far from being guaranteed. Recently, the Government has enacted legislation and policies that may prove helpful in mitigating the negative impact of its CEDAW reservations, thereby supporting the process of women’s empowerment, the fight against gender-based violence and the right of women to economic, social and cultural rights. The success of these initiatives now depends on effective implementation. In this context, the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CPRD) and subsequent protocol i s p r a i s e w o r t h y . M o r e o v e r, t h e implementation of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families (CMW) and the ratification of relevant protocols should also be pursued with great urgency. In reality, while treaty ratifications are evidence of a state’s goodwill and commitment to human rights, what is essential is the domestication of such international instruments into the national legal regime so that policies can be implemented for the benefit of victimized and marginalized people. Another important aspect of measuring the human rights situation is the UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR). The UPR is a rather new mechanism of the UN Human Rights Council, designed to monitor and evaluate the human rights situation of each Member State. The situation in Bangladesh was reviewed by Human Rights