Indigenous, Dalits face discrimination: TIB

The indigenous people and Dalits in Bangladesh face discrimination and deprivation in their rights to basic amenities from the state, says Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

This status sharply contradicts the constitution that provides equal opportunities for all irrespective of religion, community, ethnicity, men and women, as well as the state policy of inclusive development, the study of TIB says.

“This is very saddening. This is not supposed to happen in Bangladesh because this country was created against the backdrop of deprivation,” said Dr Iftekharuzzaman, executive director of TIB, at the unveiling of the study.

The findings of the study – Indigenous and Dalit communities in Bangladesh: challenges of inclusion in terms of rights and services and ways out – were presented by TIB Senior Programme Manager Abu Sayeed Md Jewel Mia today.

The purpose of the research was to identify the risks of inclusive development in the light of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ‘inclusive development’ manifesto of the ruling Awami League.

The qualitative study was conducted on 14 districts where most of the ethnic communities live and 14 other districts where more Dalit communities live between February 2018 and February 2019.