Creating Legal Awareness through Information Communication Technology for Development (ICT4D) Project in Bangladesh: A Case Study

• Published in: The International Technology Management Review Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 97 - 104
• Main Authors: Ashraf, Mahfuz, Hoque, Rakibul, Malik, Bushra Tahseen
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer Netherlands 2014
• Subjects: Case Study; Information Technology (IT); Bangladesh; village; Digital-Divide; Multi-purpose community access center
• ISSN: 2213-7149; 1835-5269
• DOI: 10.2991/itmr.2014.4.2.4

Billion-billion dollar spends for the implementation of Information Technology (IT) in rural/village areas of developing countries through the direct-indirect interventions of The United Nations (UN), the World Bank and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and so on. Unfortunately, focus has been given to the supply side (implementation) of the interventions than understanding the demand (impact) towards socio-economic progress of the beneficiaries. Further, how far such interventions address socio-economic progress or developmental challenges at the grass root level remains questionable. This article aimed to address this challenge by focusing a case study of a multi-purpose community access center in a village area of a developing country; Bangladesh. This research finding, based on the participants’ perceptions, attitude and experiences towards IT and socio-economic progress (Legal awareness). We found that the participants faced gender discrimination during the implementation of IT knowledge in their real World. Towards this IT enabled legal awareness in rural areas, NGOs with their social welfare oriented projects has a very concerned role to play.