cannot communicate with teachers or understand lessons, said Biswas. “Ethnic minority children
communicate in their mother tongue in their house. But, in school, they are compelled to face
Bengali text while the teachers are also from the Bengali community. The whole teaching method is
in Bangla.” And for those who start schooling, fewer than 8 percent complete primary education
while 2 percent complete secondary education, according to a 2009 study by the Dhaka-based
research group, Human Development Research Centre. (Sorce – There are some 45 ethnic minority
groups in Bangladesh, Posted by African Press International on November 8, 2011).
It is often seen that the language barrier is for mainly indeginous people. Although some other
women, who just speak Sylheti and Chittagong dialogues, might have been subject to
discrimination. But, as they are considered to be women of mainstream, they have they way to
escape, what the indigenous people do not have.
4) Minority women on the grounds of sexual preferenced group and Third Gendered female.
Although our definitation of minority did not cover the essence of sexual preference and transsexuals, it is a serious issue for human rights of women in Bangladesh with the third gender (called
Hijra) who consider themselves as women, also the Lesbians. For being Bangladesh a conservative,
male and Muslim dominated ideolgy, Lesbians have little space in the sociaty. The Hijras are also
subject to continuous social and legal negligence in their every days lives. These above two groups
of women endlesly suffers in social, personal, family, employment and political lives.
Conclusion and reccomendation.
The Constitition of Bangladesh had prhhivited discrimination on grounds of religion, race, gender,
caste, sex, place of birth etc. (Article 28). But the law and acts are either not implemented, or very
poorly implemented to establish the rights of our minority women. And hence, the issue is not a
piece of legal document, but its active implementation in minority women’s practical lives.
(Another issue is the women‟s domestic violence towards women. Women and children are often in
great danger in the place where they should be safest: within their families. The reasons are not one,
but mainly economic and social dependence, then sexual and other family influences and male‟s
frustration. (Details in Table 3 of UNICEF‟s report for Domestic Violence against Women and
Girls. http://www.unicef-irc.org/publications/pdf/digest6e.pdf). Hence, the women should come
forward on their own and not escape but face these above stated challenges – individually,
collectively and aggressively to overcome all hurdles.
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