Photo: Musfique Wadud/IRIN. Ijaj Hasan faced difficulty getting a job
Source: IRIN
DHAKA, 27 August 2013 (IRIN) - More than five years after Bangladesh's
High Court granted them citizenship, many young Biharis continue to
struggle against stigma in their quest for a better future.
"Despite having graduated from high school or university, we still can't
get good jobs with a Bihari identity," Ijaj Hasan, a 20-year-old Bihari
in Dhaka's Mohammadpur sub-district, told IRIN.
Ijaj who completed high school, now works as an assistant in a handicraft factory earning less than US$100 per month.
"I tried to get a government job, but failed," he said. "Even those Biharis with university degrees can't."
Bulbul Ahmed, a street vendor at the Mohmmadpur Bihari makeshift camp in
Dhaka, home to some 25,000 Biharis, believes people continue to look
down on them.
"Many of us want to go to work overseas, but can't even get a passport," he said.
Passport authorities will not give them passports, particularly when
their addresses are listed as Bihari camps or settlements, say rights
groups.
Landmark ruling
On 19 May 2008 the Bangladesh High Court approved citizenship and voting rights for Urdu-speaking Biharis.
There are 300,000 Biharis in dozens of camps and settlements in Dhaka
and across the country, according to Al-Falah Bangladesh, an NGO
campaigning for their rights.
Most Bihari youths are employed in low paid jobs such as day labourers after being denied education in state schools for decades.
According to Refugee and Migratory Movements Research Unit (RMMRU), a
University of Dhaka affiliated research group, 94 percent of today's
Bihari community are illiterate, compared with a national average of 46
percent.
Historical struggle
Many of Urdu-speaking people are from the Indian state of Bihar. They
moved to East Pakistan (now Bangladesh) during and after partition in
1947, fearing communal violence there.
Under the West Pakistan-based government, they received preferential
treatment while the majority of Bengali speakers were often marginalized
when it came to accessing government jobs, land, property and
contracts.
A 1948 decision declaring Urdu the national language of Pakistan
underscored tensions between Bengalis and Biharis, who would later be
accused of siding with the Urdu-speaking Pakistan army during
Bangladesh's 1971 war for independence.
After the war, more than 100,000 Bihari Urdu-speakers moved to Pakistan,
while thousands of other Urdu speakers were left stateless within
Bangladesh.
Marginalized, discriminated against, and viewed as Pakistani
collaborators, they were forced into squalid refugee camps and
settlements where they continue to live to this day despite the 2008
high court ruling.
"There has been no significant improvement in the lives of Urdu-speaking
people," said Ahmed Ilias, executive director of Al-Falah, noting that
Biharis still do not receive the same rights as other Bangladesh
citizens.
"Urdu-speaking people who live in the camps can't even open bank accounts, nor receive loans from a bank," he said.
"Social stigma continues and as a result Urdu-speaking people are
struggling to integrate in the mainstream of the society. It seems that
government is not concerned about us. We don't see any effective plan to
properly rehabilitate the community," Ilias said.
Bihari children are unable to study in their mother tongue, leading many to drop out.
Government support needed
Mohammad Hasan, general secretary of the Association of Young Generation
of Urdu-Speaking Community, said unemployment is rife in the Bihari
community.
"Unable to access government jobs, many Biharis end up doing odd jobs or menial labour," he said.
CR Abrar, RMMRU's coordinator, said the mindset of the people and the
politicians of the country towards its Urdu-speaking population remains
problematic.
"Ministers and government officials often identify them as `standard
Pakistanis' despite the High Court order. Thus there is still a lack of
political will for the betterment of this community," he said, adding:
"Civil society groups and rights groups are concerned about other
minority groups, but this group is largely neglected."
A comprehensive programme is needed incorporating education, health
rights and income generation and other basic rights issues, Abrar said.
"A mass awareness programme is now needed to ensure that Biharis are treated like other citizens."