72% of Bangladeshis feel unsafe to express their views online, survey says

  • November 18, 2023

Study has shown that 55 percent of Bangladeshis that responded believe Bangladesh is not a peaceful country, and 57 percent think the state of justice has worsened here over the last 5 years. The findings came up in the “Youth Matters Survey 2023.” It was conducted by Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC) in collaboration with Brac University’s Center for Peace and Justice (CPJ). They surveyed 5,609 participants between the ages 16 and 35 through Facebook.

Lead researcher on the study, Hossain Mohammed Omar Khayum, delivered the report at a Dhaka press conference yesterday. 71.5 percent of those who were surveyed said they feel afraid when expressing their views on public platforms like Facebook etc.

Despite concerns, a surprising 72 percent of them showed interest in general elections and voting. The study displayed that, due to these challenges, 42.4 percent of young Bangladeshis plan on moving abroad. BYLC’s founder and executive chairperson Ejaj Ahmad said, “We should not see the young people as future leaders. We should see them as current leaders.” BYLC conducts a survey every 5 years, especially before elections, to give Bangladeshi youths a space to share their ambitions and issues about the country’s present and future state.

Source: https://www.thedailystar.net/youth/news/72pc-the-youth-feel-unsafe-express-opinions-survey-3471441