About 11% of the total population of Bangladesh are minority communities. A significant part of this population is Dalit minorities, transgender communities and persons with disabilities. These communities are constantly discriminated against in terms of access to quality education to a respectable profession due to their socio-economic status and physical disabilities.
The majority of this population expressed the opinion that dignified employment can help them to be resilient and economically empowered by overcoming various adversities.
With the support of the European Union and Christian Aid, BLAST, Bandhu Social Welfare Society and Wave Foundation have been running a program with the aim of reducing discrimination against minority communities and empowering them through capacity building and ensuring their active participation in the development process of Bangladesh. They are implementing a project titled Empowerment of the People and Active Participation in the Development Process of Bangladesh.
Under the initiative of the project, an initiative has been taken to organize one Job Fair in each of the mentioned divisions with the aim of creating employment for the educated unemployed youth of the communities in Khulna, Rajshahi and Sylhet divisions.
With the aim of successfully organizing the job fair, the active participation of the reputed private business and development institutions of Bangladesh and the creation of employment for the qualified unemployed youth of the communities in the institutions was organized on November 11, 2023, at Hotel Blue-Berry in the capital.
The meeting was attended by representatives of various non-governmental housing organizations, development organizations and the minority communities of Bangladesh. The present situation of employment of the communities was highlighted in the meeting.
The representatives of the communities present in the meeting highlighted the challenges in inclusion in employment. Representatives of private business organizations and development organizations presented their suggestions regarding including the communities in employment and expressed their interest in participating in departmental job fairs held in Khulna, Sylhet and Rajshahi divisions.