After seceding from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh has been a parliamentary democracy since 1991. Although fundamental rights such as freedom of speech, freedom of the press and freedom of assembly are guaranteed on paper in the constitution, they are increasingly restricted. According to the German Foreign Office, more than 2,000 people are believed to have been killed in political violence in Bangladesh in 2009, including bloggers, journalists, homosexuals and avowed atheists. Corruption is an everyday occurence. Since 2017 the country is facing a wave of refugees, as houndreds of thousands members of the Rohingya minority have fled from the neighbouring country Myanmar to Bangladesh.

Bangladesch is one of the poorest countries in the world. Large parts of the population are excluded from the educational and healthcare system. Those most affected are women, whose influence on sociopolitical life is still marginal. Many of them can neither read nor write and are economically dependent on their spouse. Due to the unaffordable food prices, the so-called ultra poor often suffer from malnutrition, which in turn increases the susceptibility for diseases. However, adequate healthcare is beyond their finacial means. Consequently, treatable diseases remain untreated and can ultimately lead to death. Especially childbirths also carry a considerable potential for danger if, due to lack of finances, they are not carried out with the support of professional staff, but by lay people in a residential hut.