Call to ensure fundamental rights of Dalit community
A political consensus is necessary for the Dalit community while everyone should come forward to ensure their fundamental rights, said speakers at a roundtable yesterday.
The Dalit community is being deprived of fundamental rights like habitation and healthcare facilities that need to be ensured, they said.
The roundtable on "Condition of women cleaners and their position" was jointly organised by Dharitri and Oxfam at Cirdap auditorium in the capital.
The organisers also carried out a survey on 100 women cleaners of Gabtoli sweeper colony.
Presenting the survey report, Dharitri Executive Director Adan Islam said none of the women surveyed got any free healthcare facility before and after giving birth to their child.
Also, none of the women got one month paid leave during their pregnancy while 36 percent of their children do not go to school due to their poor income, he said.
Deputy Speaker of the parliament Col (rtd) Showkat Ali, while addressing as the chief guest, said the government's initiative to ensure education for all came to a halt at many places because general people could not provide land for setting up schools there.
The government itself should provide the land to set up the schools, ha added.
Eminent economist Dr Quazi Kholikuzzaman Ahmed chaired the roundtable while former Wasa managing director Khandokar Azharul Haque and researcher Polas Kanti Das spoke among others.
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