Per capita income growth means nothing for indigenous people if they lose their land: speakers at webinar
Human rights activist Sultana Kamal today said, at a webinar, that indigenous people are not only losing their homesteads, gardens, trees, forestlands, or lakes, their cremation grounds are also being grabbed by the state or the people patronised by the state.
"There is no solution to this grabbing from the state's side, while those who are losing lands are being evicted and forced to migrate elsewhere," she added.
The webinar, titled "Inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in Sustainable Development and Realization of Rights: Responsibility of State and Citizens", was jointly organised by Association for Land Reform and Development (ALRD) and Bangladesh Indigenous People Forum (BIPF), in collaboration with The Daily Star.
The webinar was organised to mark the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples 2021 (August 9), with the theme "Leaving No One Behind: Indigenous peoples and the call for a new social contract".
Barrister Raja Devasish Roy, Chakma Circle Chief, Chattogram Hill Tracts, presented the keynote in the webinar and he said although Bangladesh has ratified International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention 107 in 1972, and signed the historical Chittagong Hill Tracts Accord in 1997, the scenario of deprivation and distress of the indigenous people is largely seen even today.
They have been facing various political, social, and economic challenges, he said.
"Bangladesh's eighth five-year plan mentioned the development of the marginalized population, including the hill tracts population. The provisions of this plan need to be reinterpreted and implemented in line with the provisions of the SDGs," he said.
BIPF general secretary Sanjeeb Drong highlighted the importance of inclusive development for the indigenous people and said that inclusive development doesn't always mean per capita income or financial development, it also means their safety and security, recognition of their self-identity along with constitutional and legal identity, the guarantee of traditional land rights, and the establishment of their educational and cultural rights.
"We are saying that the country's per capita income has increased to USD 2,227, but this makes no sense to the indigenous people. Why do they lose their land or migrate to India and why do the indigenous women not get justice -- answers to these questions are equally linked with the inclusive development of the indigenous people," he said.
Advocate Rana Dasgupta, General Secretary, Bangladesh Hindu Bouddha Christian Oikya Parishad, joined the webinar as a panellist and mentioned the constitutional rights of the indigenous people.
He also said that the way the indigenous people are lagging behind and facing an identity crisis, the religious minorities are facing the same.
Shamsul Huda, Executive Director, ALRD, said that two decades after the historical CHT Accord, numerous sections have been implemented. However, the major issue -- the land commission, that has been formed, has not been implemented yet.
The commission lacks adequate manpower and budget, he said
Nijera Kori coordinator Khushi Kabir said that numerous indigenous people fought for the independence of the country in 1971, and there was no discrimination back then. Why don't we respect them now, she asked.
Fazle Hossain Badsha, MP, Convener, Parliamentary Caucus on IPs and Minority Issues, Justice (retd) Mohammed Nizamul Huq, Former Justice of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court of Bangladesh and Chief Legal Advisor, BLAST, Professor Dr Sadeka Halim, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Dhaka, Professor Rubaet Ferdous, Department of Mass Communication and Journalism, University of Dhaka, IP activist Meinthin Promila, among other, spoke at the event.