Teenager launches website to expose bribery in government offices after family faces pension hurdles

A 17-year-old student has launched an online platform to combat systemic corruption in Bangladesh after his family faced repeated demands for bribes while attempting to claim his late mother’s pension and death benefits. The website, ghush.site, recorded 9,665 complaints in its first nine days, documenting alleged bribe demands totaling between 3.21 billion and 3.32 billion taka.

Shahed Sharif Ahmed, an A-Level student residing in Mymensingh Cantonment, created the site following his own frustrating experiences. Ahmed stated that his family was forced to pay 38,000 taka in bribes to various government offices to access his mother’s 700,000 taka provident fund after she passed away in December 2022. He further alleged that officials demanded an additional 100,000 taka to release further welfare and administrative payouts.

“My mother’s pension file was held hostage for money, and I previously had to pay a bribe just to expedite my passport application,” Ahmed said. “I built this site to demand transparency and expose the scale of these irregularities.”

The website, developed by Ahmed and his co-founder Saif Kabir with a nominal investment of 10,000 taka, features a four-member moderation team to screen submissions. To mitigate legal risks, the site currently does not publish the names of complainants or specific accused individuals, though Ahmed hopes to eventually integrate a full dashboard if the initiative gains government support.

Ahmed’s father, Shariful Islam, confirmed the ongoing struggle, noting that officials at the Upazila Education Office explicitly told him that files would not progress without a 100,000 taka payment. Mujibur Rahman, an office assistant at the local education office, denied the allegations of soliciting bribes, claiming he provides full cooperation to all applicants.

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Mymensingh Sadar Upazila Primary Education Officer Monica Parveen stated that no formal complaints regarding bribery had been brought to her attention. She promised to investigate the matter and ensure the disbursement of the deceased teacher’s outstanding dues.

The initiative has drawn attention from local authorities. Abdullah Al Mamun, Additional Superintendent of Police in Mymensingh, stated that police would act on any reported irregularities under existing laws and provide protection to the young developers if they face security threats.

Sharifuzzaman, vice-president of the Mymensingh chapter of the Conscious Citizens Committee, praised the effort as a vital display of digital transparency. He noted that such platforms highlight the pervasive nature of corruption that hinders national development and urged the government to adopt similar technology-driven solutions to improve accountability.

Ahmed remains committed to the project, stating his ultimate goal is to reduce bribery in government services to zero. “My objective is to ensure that no citizen is forced to pay a bribe to access the services they are entitled to,” he said.