Empowering marginalised communities in Bangladesh

Staff Reporter :
Positive change necessitates collective effort and unwavering conviction. With this guiding principle, Christian Aid, in partnership with the European Union, BLAST, Bandhu Social Welfare Society, Nagorik Uddyog, and Wave Foundation, recently hosted the Change Agent Conference in Gazipur. The event celebrated the efforts of Change Agents working to uplift marginalized communities across Bangladesh.

The conference is part of the “Empowering Left Behind Minority Communities to Effectively Participate in the Development Process of Bangladesh” (ELMC) project.

This initiative aims to reduce discriminatory practices against marginalized groups, enhance their capacity, and ensure their active participation in the country’s development. The project focuses on communities such as Dalits, ethnic minorities like tea workers, hijras, and people with disabilities—groups that often face severe discrimination and deprivation.

According to the Lore Census, 8.91% of Bangladesh’s population consists of religious minorities, many of whom, such as the Dalit community, suffer discrimination based on caste and occupational identity.

Additionally, there are approximately 1.65 million plains tribes and over 1 million tea workers in the Sylhet region, both of whom face similar biases. The hijra community and people with disabilities also represent significant portions of the population, numbering around 12,629 and 2.36 million respectively.

Despite existing laws to protect disabled individuals, enforcement remains inadequate, and no specific legislation addresses the discrimination faced by other marginalized groups.