Belgium: December 08, 2012
Human Rights of LGBT persons are not recognize in Bangladesh. They are abused, discriminated, arrested and tortured simply because of who they are or who they are perceived to be, stated by Mr. Shahanur Islam, a Bangladeshi human rights defender and founding secretary general of the newly established organization JusticeMakers
Bangladesh at the EU conference on ”Protecting Minority Rights in South Asia”.
The conference was held at EU Parliament in Brussels, Belgiumon Thursday 8 December 2011, organized by the Global Human Rights Defense (GHRD), the Hague, Netherlands in collaboration with Cecilia Wikström, Member of the European Parliament representing the Swedish Liberal Party, and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Committee of the European Parliament. He discussed the situation for ethnic and sexual minorities in Bangladesh-two minority groups particularly vulnerable to human rights violations and discrimination in the country.
Bangladesh at the EU conference on ”Protecting Minority Rights in South Asia”.
The conference was held at EU Parliament in Brussels, Belgiumon Thursday 8 December 2011, organized by the Global Human Rights Defense (GHRD), the Hague, Netherlands in collaboration with Cecilia Wikström, Member of the European Parliament representing the Swedish Liberal Party, and the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe (ALDE) Committee of the European Parliament. He discussed the situation for ethnic and sexual minorities in Bangladesh-two minority groups particularly vulnerable to human rights violations and discrimination in the country.
Amongst the speakers were Taslima Nasreen, Bangladeshi writer in exile,
winner of the European Parliament Sakharov Prize 1994; Anuradha
Koirala , awarded CNN Hero 2010 for her impressive work against human trafficking in Nepal;
Shahanur Islam, founder of Justice Makers – a fact finding
organisation documenting abuses against minorities and indigenous
peoples in Bangladesh; Naveed Walter, president of Human Rights Focus
Pakistan, documenting similar abuses in Pakistan; and Ram Chettri,
founder of Bhutanese Advocacy Forum, fighting for the rights of the
Bhutanese refugees now residing in Nepal and other countries.
During
the conference, GHRD presented a joint manifesto on minority rights in
South Asia with specific recommendations to the European authorities,
which was created during a three days regional symposium in India,
Mumbai held one month earlier. It concludes that religious, ethnic, and
sexual minorities remain amongst the most vulnerable groups in South
Asia, as they are subject to discrimination and human rights violations,
including discriminatory laws, land grabbing, attacks against places
of worship, businesses and homes, physical and sexual assaults, forced
conversions, killings and threats, which largely go unreported by
national and international authorities.
The manifesto also concludes that it remains too difficult for civil society and local human rights organizations in South Asia to access the EU institutions and calls for actions to bridge the gap between human rights defenders on the ground and the EU institutions.
The manifesto also concludes that it remains too difficult for civil society and local human rights organizations in South Asia to access the EU institutions and calls for actions to bridge the gap between human rights defenders on the ground and the EU institutions.
Cecilia
Wikström, member of the European Parliament for the liberal group
(ALDE) expressed her support for the manifesto and its goals. She has
also tabled a priority written question to Catherine
Ashton, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs
and Security Policy, asking for the creation of a support unit within
the new external action service to better involve grassroots human
rights defenders in the networks and activities of the External Action
Service and European Institutions.
Mr Islam began by explaining the human rights situation for the over 3 million ethnic minority people living in Bangladesh, particularly the lack of constitutional recognition of their indigenous status and rights to their land. Disputes over land make ethnic minorities targets of aggression, violence and eviction, resulting in their marginalization and discrimination, widespread violence, rapes, killings and sexual assault.
Mr Islam then went on to discuss the situation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender LGBT people in Bangladesh, stating that they face discrimination in all areas of society and often become targets of sexual crimes, torture, harassment and violence, in both the public and private spheres. Mr Islam discussed societal discrimination of LGBT people, stating they are stigmatized and deprived of their rights ‐ exemplified by the criminalization of homosexual acts in Bangladesh.
Finally, he talked about the situation for human rights activists defending ethnic and sexual minorities, referring to his personal situation and the threats he has received during the course of his work. Mr Islam finished by urging the EU to take initiative to ensure protection of human rights defenders through intergovernmental dialogue and direct support. He underlined a number of recommendations for the government of Bangladesh, which he asked those in the room to support and encourage by any means possible, beginning with the full implementation of the 1997 Chittagong Hill Tracts CHT Peace Accord, restoring the indigenous population’s rights to their land, ratification of the UN declaration of the rights to indigenous people and ILO Convention – including sections 107 and 169 (referring to the rights of indigenous peoples), and finally, the discrimination of homosexual acts.
