Rethinking NGO activism in light of postcolonial and decolonial feminist perspectives : evidence from sexual harassment interventions in Bangladesh

Bangladesh witnessed an NGO boom after its independence in 1971 when several national and international NGOs emerged to help the war-torn country not only with relief and rehabilitation activities but also to rebuild its physical infrastructure. This chapter adopts a critical stance towards contemporary NGO activism in Bangladesh by analysing the sexual harassment (SH) interventions of BRAC (Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee), UN Women, MJF (Manusher Jonno Foundation), Change Associates and ActionAid. It uses qualitative data from 2018 to 2019 to critically analyse the SH interventions of five selected NGOs. The chapter demonstrates that NGOs' VAW prevention interventions in Bangladesh mostly follow a supply-led approach in which they design projects to satisfy donor interest with little consideration of women's actual needs. It then provides a brief overview of women's movements and their dependence on NGO activism in Bangladesh.