The constitution of Bangladesh guarantees equal rights for all, but in reality particular communities, especially the ethnic minorities in Bangladesh, are discriminated against and continually pushed to increasing marginalisation. This week, as we observed International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, the systematic forms of discrimination that we as a nation have failed to address were highlighted by Research Initiatives, Bangladesh.

Nation's seek to redress historic wrongs and injustices towards particularly disadvantages communities through affirmative action. The concept of affirmative action seeks to redress systematic and structural discrimination through official policy. While Bangladesh has safety-net programmes in place, the marginalised are being deprived of them due to lack of proper implementation and monitoring. Speakers at the seminar also pointed widespread corruption and lack of accountability, and that these communities are being discriminated in public services. The very programmes that are supposed to be in place to help the disadvantaged and the marginalised are being dominated by the influential.

It has been said that the whole is as strong as its weakest part. Not only are we failing to ensure the rights of the ethnic minorities in our country, we are pushing them towards further marginalisation. We urge the government to see to it that the laudable policies that are in place are not being undone by the unscrupulous few. Of course, accountability, transparency and monitoring are key to ensure this. At the same time, we would also ask of the government to enact policy that aims to empower and give access to opportunities to ethnic minorities in particular, not only to save them from further marginalisation, but for the welfare and development of the country as a whole.