Adopt policies for marginalised communities

The government should adopt policies to protect the rights of ethnic minorities and the transgender community, one of the poorest and most marginalised population groups in Bangladesh, in order to accelerate poverty reduction, a new report said.

The Bangladesh Poverty Watch Report 2022, which was launched at an event at the capital's Gulshan Club yesterday, was jointly prepared by the Institute for Inclusive Finance and Development (InM) and the Center for Inclusive Development Dialogue (CIDD).

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"Both the plainland ethnic minorities and the transgender community suffer from social exclusion that makes them extremely vulnerable," said Prof Salma Akhter, a trustee of the CIDD.

Discrimination occurs when particular groups of people lack the choices and capabilities that enable others to participate in or benefit from development.

"The legal, administrative and other social institutions don't usually operate equitably to protect their rights in society. Thus, their voices remain mostly unheard as the marginalised communities in Bangladesh are powerless and less organised than other citizens to claim their civil rights," Prof Akhter said.

Most women and children in these groups face additional marginalisation, and rights violations, and have fewer opportunities to access education, health, economic opportunities, protection and justice, she added while making a presentation.

The report recommended adopting a marginalised-sensitive social policy, implementing special mechanisms to ensure the flow of funds or benefits to the people, addressing systemic and structural weaknesses of plain land ethnic communities, and forming a separate land commission for the plain land ethnic communities.

Ensuring the coverage of plain land ethnic communities in the national social security strategy and social safety net programmes and formulating target-specific action plans to increase their income levels and access to productive resources were also recommended.

The report suggested formulating target-specific action plans, adopting an integrated strategy to develop a national database, and introducing explicit budgeting for the plain land ethnic communities.

Qazi Kholiquzzaman Ahmad, chairman of the InM, said the poverty rate was reducing fast.

"This is now 20 to 21 per cent whereas it was around 50 per cent in 2000. However, the number of the poor has remained almost the same at over three crore people."

For sustainable development, the poverty rate needs to be reduced and people's capacity and inclusion in income-generation activities need to be increased, added Ahmad, also the chairman of the Palli Karma-Sahayak Foundation.

Mustafa K Mujeri, executive director of the InM, said Bangladesh had done reasonably well in reducing poverty compared to other countries.

"Still many people are poor."

The former chief economist of the central bank said the InM and the CIDD carried out the review to find out the dimensions of poverty since it does not mean only a lack of income.

"Poverty means a lack of choices and voices of people."

The study examined the denial of opportunities, with a focus on disparities in access to education, healthcare and other basic services, limited access to employment and income-generating opportunities, and uneven participation in social, political and civic life.

Atiur Rahman, a former governor of the Bangladesh Bank, said the economy was facing some challenges such as geopolitical tension, supply chain disruptions and a transformation in the energy mix.

"The government needs to take steps considering these challenges."

Mozammel Huq, a professor of economics at the University of Strathciyde in Glasgow, described a low tax-to-GDP ratio as a prime obstacle to increasing the financial power of a country.

Bangladesh's tax-to-GDP ratio stands at around 9 per cent.

"This is not enough to ensure a required allocation for social security," said Prof Huq, adding that the tax-to-GDP ratio in the United Kingdom is 38 per cent and the social security spending is around 25 per cent.