Editorial
Dalit community is sizable
Discrimination a blot on majority's conscience
It is appalling to note that as many as 5.5 million members of Dalit and Harijan communities barely exist on the peripheries of the mainstream society. They lead a subhuman life in the sense that they are clearly neglected, marginalised and excluded in the national scheme of things. A country emerging from the ashes of a hard-fought war to establish an egalitarian society can ill afford such discriminatory treatment to a particular community on the grounds of their origin. More so, when our Constitution proclaims equality of all citizens, irrespective of caste, creed and faith in the eye of the State.
To even think that Bangladesh is 'rich-friendly and anti-poor', as suggested by the Human Rights Commission chairman Mizanur Rahman, is a great shame. Any form of discrimination is an assault on human dignity and violation of human rights. It is the State's responsibility to protect rights, dignity and uniqueness of the Dalit communities in Bangladesh. For this, if any new law focused on elimination of 'racial discrimination' has to be formulated let's go ahead with it. Otherwise, we will be putting across a wrong signal about our respect for human rights. As a democratic country we cannot shut our eyes to the fundamental rights of any community whatsoever.
But you cannot legislate change in human attitudes or force compliance with standards of decency and civility given that habits die hard. First of all, the communities in question need to be organised themselves to protest maltreatment and demand their rightful place in society; secondly, a massive awareness campaign would have to be built to sensitise the victims about their rights, and how to go about securing them. They direly need access to education, job opportunities and legal aid.
In the ultimate analysis, however, the mainstream society should stand by them so that they feel cared for and can instill a sense of belonging to the larger community.
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