“CITIZEN,
THIRD CLASS”: FINDINGS FROM RI’S STATELESS PROJECT
Bangladesh
While the Bangladesh government has hosted stateless Biharis for more
than three decades, the already desperate living conditions worsened
over the last year. The delivery of government-subsidized
food aid
was ended, and there was a substantial loss of homes to tornado, fire,
and eviction. The situation is critical and requires immediate
attention.
In pre-independence India, the Biharis were an Urdu-speaking Muslim
minority in the Hindu region of Bihar. In 1947, at the time of
partition, the Biharis moved to what was then East Pakistan. When
civil war broke out between East and West Pakistan, the Biharis, who
consider themselves Pakistani, sided with West Pakistan. In 1971,
however, East Pakistan became the independent state of
Bangladesh. The
Biharis were left behind as the Pakistani army and civilians evacuated
and found themselves unwelcome in both countries. Pakistan feared
that
a mass influx of Biharis could destabilize a fragile and culturally
mixed population, and Bangladesh scorned the Biharis for having
supported the enemy. With neither country offering citizenship,
the
Biharis (also called stranded Pakistanis) have remained stateless for
33 years.
An estimated 250,000 to 300,000 Biharis live in 66 camps in 13 regions
across the country. All camps have one thing in common – they are
severely overcrowded. In Rangpur, northern Bangladesh, there are
several instances where a dozen or more family members sleep huddled
together in a single room no larger than eight by ten feet. As
families grow without access to more land, they are forced to live in
increasingly small quarters. “We have no privacy,” one 9-year-old
student told RI.
Dirt floors become nothing more than deep mud in the monsoon season.
Rainwater creates another problem for those with less than adequate
roofing. A widow and mother of four reported, “We cannot stay
here
when it rains. We have to live in the railway station.” In
September,
a tornado ripped through one camp and destroyed 54 homes.
Temporary
structures, some without a roof, were rebuilt, leaving no protection
from the elements. On December 4, 2004, fire ripped though a camp in
Saidpur, leaving several hundred people homeless. During the last year,
over 150 families have been threatened with eviction notices, and in
one Chittagong camp some residents were forcibly removed from their
homes.
Lack of water and co-habitation with animals, combined with poor
drainage and sanitation systems, contribute to a variety of medical
problems, including skin disease, water-borne illness, upper
respiratory infections and gastro-intestinal disorders. In one
camp,
only two working wells supply water to 650 families. In Mirpur’s
Millat Camp, there was only one latrine for 6,000 people. Few
medical
clinics exist, and several camps have no health care at all, leaving
entire families susceptible to both medical and related financial
hardship.
For Bihari children, the right to education has become a luxury. The
school in Saardar Bahardur camp closed this year from lack of
funding.
In Adamgee, only six boys from an entire camp made it to secondary
school. Teachers go unpaid, students study in shifts, and
requests to
the Minister of Education for new books have been turned down.
One
teacher, who has not been paid since September said, “In this
environment, learning is a lot of work for the students.
There is no
time to get wiser. Children work after school to get money by
doing
handicrafts and making jewelry. At home they live like
animals. Their
families cook, eat, work, and sleep in the same small room.”
This lack of education, combined with an already impoverished economy,
provides little opportunity for employment inside or outside the
camps. One young man said he makes 100 taka a day as a rickshaw
driver. After he pays a 40 taka bicycle rental, he is left with
only
60 taka (about $1.00) to feed his family. Those fortunate enough
to
find work often face discrimination and harassment. In Geneva
camp,
vendors complained of locals taking merchandise without paying.
Other
individuals have simply disappeared, and their families have been asked
for “ransom” for their return.
A permanent solution is possible if the governments of Pakistan and
Bangladesh offer citizenship to the Biharis. Some camp residents think
of themselves as Pakistani and would like to be reunited with family
members in Pakistan. This repatriation could be funded by money already
put aside in Pakistan. Others, who have never been to and have no
family in Pakistan, can only imagine a life in Bangladesh. Those
Biharis that are keen to establish lives as Bangladeshi citizens
sometimes see “no other way” and marry local Bangladeshis. Others, such
as 20-year-old Abdul, who survives hand to mouth as a garment factory
worker, says he would like to go to Pakistan. In any case, the UNHCR is
not addressing the plight of the Biharis.
Refugees International has recommended and is advocating that the
Government of Pakistan work with the Government of Bangladesh and UNHCR
to offer the possibility of resettlement and citizenship for Biharis
who wish to live in Pakistan. The Government of Bangladesh
likewise
should work with Pakistan and the UNHCR to grant citizenship to Biharis
who wish to remain in Bangladesh. The country should provide
immediate
accommodation and other support for people who have lost their homes to
the recent fire and tornado. Meanwhile, Bangladesh should provide
relief for immediate needs, including food, and in conjunction with
local and international NGOs, ensure that each camp has enough basic
amenities, including water, latrines, schools, and medical clinics, to
accommodate its population.
Refugees International has called on the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees to take a proactive role to provide relief
consistent with its mandate to address stateless people in the same
manner as refugees, specifically securing a resolution of the Biharis’
situation, by facilitating an agreement between Pakistan and Bangladesh
resulting in citizenship for all Biharis in one or both of the
countries. The option for third country resettlement can and
should be
explored.
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