Background: High-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing has been recommended by the World Health Organization as the primary screening test in cervical screening programs. The option of self... Show moreBackground: High-risk human papillomavirus (hrHPV) testing has been recommended by the World Health Organization as the primary screening test in cervical screening programs. The option of self-sampling for this screening method can potentially increase women's participation. Designing screening programs to implement this method among underscreened populations will require contextualized evidence. Methods: PREvention and SCReening Innovation Project Toward Elimination of Cervical Cancer (PRESCRIP-TEC) will use a multi-method approach to investigate the feasibility of implementing a cervical cancer screening strategy with hrHPV self-testing as the primary screening test in Bangladesh, India, Slovak Republic and Uganda. The primary outcomes of study include uptake and coverage of the screening program and adherence to follow-up. These outcomes will be evaluated through a pre-post quasi-experimental study design. Secondary objectives of the study include the analysis of client-related factors and health system factors related to cervical cancer screening, a validation study of an artificial intelligence decision support system and an economic evaluation of the screening strategy. Discussion: PRESCRIP-TEC aims to provide evidence regarding hrHPV self-testing and the World Health Organization's recommendations for cervical cancer screening in a variety of settings, targeting vulnerable groups. The main quantitative findings of the project related to the impact on uptake and coverage of screening will be complemented by qualitative analyses of various determinants of successful implementation of screening. The study Continued from previous page) will also provide decision-makers with insights into economic aspects of implementing hrHPV self-testing , as well as evaluate the feasibility of using artificial intelligence for task-shifting in visual inspection with acetic acid. Show less
How do videos, movies and documentaries dedicated to indigenous communities transform the media landscape of South Asia? Based on extensive original research, this book examines how in South Asia... Show moreHow do videos, movies and documentaries dedicated to indigenous communities transform the media landscape of South Asia? Based on extensive original research, this book examines how in South Asia popular music videos, activist political clips, movies and documentaries about, by and for indigenous communities take on radically new significances. Media, Indigeneity and Nation in South Asia shows how in the portrayal of indigenous groups by both ‘insiders’ and ‘outsiders’ imaginations of indigeneity and nation become increasingly interlinked. Indigenous groups, typically marginal to the nation, are at the same time part of mainstream polities and cultures. Drawing on perspectives from media studies and visual anthropology, this book compares and contrasts the situation in South Asia with indigeneity globally. Show less
While the inclusion of extreme poor people is a noble and necessary objective, it is challenging. Attempts to include extreme poor people in development interventìons have often been disappointing.... Show moreWhile the inclusion of extreme poor people is a noble and necessary objective, it is challenging. Attempts to include extreme poor people in development interventìons have often been disappointing. This book addresses the challenge of including the poorest people. lt provides deeper understanding of the mechanisms of in- and exclusion of extreme poor people, the structural causes of extreme poverty and the desirability of a univocal definition of extreme poverty. The book contributes to such an understanding through an analysis of extreme poor and marginalised people and their multiple dimensions of wellbeing. Furthermore, this book sheds light on the discourses and practices applied by development agencies in order to draw lessons about how the extreme poor can be sustainably included in development interventions. This is based on original field research - using a partipatory approach - carried out in Bangladesh, Benin, and (rural and urban) Ethiopia. Show less
The Bangladesh ready-made garment industry has recently been affected by a number of terrible accidents, with the collapse of the Rana Plaza on 24 April 2013 as the deadliest garment-factory... Show moreThe Bangladesh ready-made garment industry has recently been affected by a number of terrible accidents, with the collapse of the Rana Plaza on 24 April 2013 as the deadliest garment-factory accident ever known. Under the pressure of renewed attention to the role and responsibilities of multinational corporations (MNCs) take responsibility for what happens in those factories, two initiatives have been adopted. These initiatives involve leading brands of European origin and North-American origin. With these initiatives the MNCs claim tostrengthen their corporate social responsibility (CSR) regarding those factories. From a regulatory perspective, they represent cases of transnational private regulation (TPR). Although CSR and TPR have become increasingly popular, these initiatives have been perceived with mixed enthusiasm, since they are adopted in a legal vacuum. Consequently, they raise questions about their legal status, their legitimacy and their implementation and compliance mechanisms. These same questions will be discussed in this article concerning the Bangladesh initiatives, in order to discern if they have the potential to contribute to improvingsafety and working conditions in the Bangladeshi garment industry, or if they are rather forms of window dressing. Show less
Minorities have never had an easy time in Bangladesh. Since October 2001, when a four-party coalition with strong Islamist influence came to power, minority conditions have worsened. But some small... Show moreMinorities have never had an easy time in Bangladesh. Since October 2001, when a four-party coalition with strong Islamist influence came to power, minority conditions have worsened. But some small disadvantaged groups, such as cobblers, pig farmers and river gypsies, have begun to organise themselves thanks to a new research approach to development. Show less
As a coalition partner in the ruling coalition, Jama'at-e-Islami (JI) occupies an important place in Bangladeshi politics. The party has come a long way since its opposition to the liberation of... Show moreAs a coalition partner in the ruling coalition, Jama'at-e-Islami (JI) occupies an important place in Bangladeshi politics. The party has come a long way since its opposition to the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, and has gradually established itself as a key player in national politics. Over the years, it has adopted moderate right wing positions, focused itself on social welfare activities, consolidated its political base through skillful manoeuvres, and forged successful electoral alliances. In so doing, it has expanded its influence and emerged as a key player in determining the ruling composition in Bangladeshi politics. Show less
It is largely agreed that formal Islamic leadership centres on the calim who function as experts of the sharica. It is similarly accepted that informal expressions of Islamic faith are extremely... Show moreIt is largely agreed that formal Islamic leadership centres on the calim who function as experts of the sharica. It is similarly accepted that informal expressions of Islamic faith are extremely common Ð but there is less agreement regarding the functional roles performed by those who lead these informal expressions of faith. It is suggested that there are three such (distinct but overlapping) roles, one of which is examined here. The three roles are, broadly speaking, the provision of healing, the oversight of major festivals, and the storage of core religious knowledge. Leaders of these groups collectively provide leadership that is intrinsically religious in nature. As leadership is ceded to them, they in return help those around them re-create a sense of faithcentred corporate identity. The following briefly looks at how healers operate as informal leaders who help to shape Islamic faith in rural Bangladesh. Show less
Taslima Nasrin, the writer from Bangladesh, shot into international fame and limelight with the publication of her novel 'Lajja' (Shame) which criticized Muslims for attacking minority Hindus in... Show moreTaslima Nasrin, the writer from Bangladesh, shot into international fame and limelight with the publication of her novel 'Lajja' (Shame) which criticized Muslims for attacking minority Hindus in Bangladesh following the 1992 destruction of a mosque by Hindu zealots in neighbouring India. Nasrin's writing so angered Muslim sentiments in Bangladesh that Khaleda Zia's government ordered her arrest in 1994 on charges of blasphemy. After a year in hiding, Nasrin fled Bangladesh for four years of exile in Europe. Several Muslim religious leaders demanded her immediate arrest and trial. They warned the government of serious consequences if she is not put on trial for suggesting that the Qur'an should be rewritten. Nasrin has denied making the comments. However, it was finally confirmed that the 36-year old author should indeed stand trial. Nasrin has appealed to the international community for help. Show less
