Speakers, including rights activists, on Sunday called for a UN investigation into each violation of rights against national minorities.
They also demanded constitutional recognition of the national minority people.
The speakers made the demands during a national seminar titled 鈥楾he Responsibility of the State and the Broader Population on Overall Security, Basic, Including Land, and Human Rights of the Indigenous People,鈥� held in the capital鈥檚 CIRDAP auditorium.
The event was organised by 14 rights-based organisations, including the Association for Land Reform and Development, Jatiya Adivasi Parishad, Transparency International Bangladesh, and Kapaeeng Foundation as part of 鈥業nternational Day of the World鈥檚 Indigenous Peoples 2024鈥� observance.聽聽
Lawyer Sara Hossain, executive director of the Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust, said, 鈥榃e know that a team from the UN will visit Bangladesh to investigate allegations brought against the previous regime (Sheikh Hasina-led government). We can raise the issue of torture and other abuses faced by national minority people after August 5 鈥� and violations of their rights in previous years due to structural reasons.鈥�
Speaking about reforms, she said, 鈥榃e need reform in the judiciary, but we must ensure that we do not destroy everything in the name of reform.鈥櫬犅�
She also said that the primary task of the interim government was to ensure safety of those who were still insecure and protested at obstructing graffiti efforts regarding the abduction of Kalpana Chakma by security forces in the CHT.聽
TIB executive director Iftekharuzzaman also called for separate UN investigations into each rights violation against national minority people in previous years and sought constitutional recognition of them.
Mentioning that the country needs to develop a framework based on the mass aspirations of a 鈥榥ew Bangladesh, new state structure, and new political understanding鈥� that emerged following the recent mass uprising, he said, 鈥榃e do not want any discrimination against national minority people after the mass uprising. We do not want another authoritarian government.鈥櫬�
He also recommended overhauling the CHT Affairs Ministry and renaming it 鈥業ndigenous Rights Affairs Ministry,鈥� saying that the ministry was created to facilitate militarisation in the CHT.
Kapaeeng Foundation executive director Pallab Chakma alleged that administration and security forces were involved in land grabbing in the CHT.聽
ALRD executive director Shamsul Huda demanded that International Day of the World鈥檚 Indigenous Peoples be recognised by the state, the ILO Convention 169 be ratified, and that relevant laws be prepared accordingly.聽
Citing various forms of abuse against national minority people across the country, Dhaka University professor Robaet Ferdous noted that such violence not only affected women鈥檚 reproductive rights but also hindered efforts to create a diverse, gender- and language-neutral country.
The seminar was conducted by Khushi Kabir, coordinator of Nijera Kori, and featured the presentation of three articles on rights of the national minority people and their violations.