They also called for removing the corrupt leadership at the grassroots level and forging a movement against corruption.

They were addressing the inaugural ceremony of a Human Rights Fair at the auditorium of the Institute of Engineers in Chittagong city.

The Academy for Educational Development (AED) and the Bangladesh Institute for Theatre Arts in cooperation with a USAID-funded project of Bangladesh Human Rights Advocacy Programme (BHRAP) organised the daylong fair to mark the World Human Rights Day.

The speakers also called for establishing independent judiciary, anti-corruption commission and election commission and a strong local government system.

Speaking as the chief guest, former chief advisor of a caretaker government Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman said corruption is an obstacle to redressing the violations of human rights.

The judiciary should be made more effective in order to protect and promote the human rights, he said and called on the administration and the people involved in the judicial system to play an active role in this regard.

The Anti-Corruption Commission formed under the pressure of donors also lacks adequate manpower and proper rules and the country is yet to sign the UN Anti-Corruption Convention Charter, he said.

Justice Habibur Rahman stressed the need for appointing an ombudsman in every sector of the administration to check partisan domination and for amending the Official Secrets Act.

Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of the Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB), Abul Momen, resident editor of the Prothom Alo in Chittagong, writer Selina Hossain and Gene George, director of USAID, also spoke as special guests.

They underscored the need for political commitment from the highest level of the government to making the anti-corruption commission an independent and effective body.

They also said the movement should be geared towards putting an end to corruption, not against any particular government.

Almost all the problems facing the nation today have resulted from corruption, they said, adding that the people have been deprived of their rights because of corruption.

Presenting some statistics, the speakers said that 36 percent of children had to give bribes for admission to schools and around one third of those receiving stipends had to give bribes for enlisting the names while 54 percent of female students receiving stipends do not get 40 percent of the stipend money.

In the health sector, around one third of the outdoor patients at public hospitals had to give bribes to receive proper treatment and medicines while 54 percent of them had to give bribes to get x-rays and other diagnostic tests done, they said.

Around 78 percent of people deprived of human rights had to bribe police to lodge general diary, the speakers said.

Corruption is contributing to the rise of poverty as it eat away around 7.5 percent of the daily income of general people and 9.5 percent of those living below poverty level, they said.

Chief of Party of AID/BHRAP Susan Ward and BITA Executive Director Shishir Datt gave the address of welcome at the inaugural ceremony.

Civil society members and US Embassy officials also attended the function.

As many as 24 non-government organisations took part in the Human Rights Fair.