A program undertaken by the Department of Social Services (DSS) to improve the living standards of the Hijra, Bede, and other underprivileged communities has failed to make a significant impact in the decade since it began, according to a study by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS).
DSS initiated the program in seven districts of the country in the 2012-2013 fiscal year. It was expanded to 64 districts in FY2015-2016. The BIDS study found the program did not bring about any substantial changes to the income, expenses, number of working hours and working days for the communities.
The educational situation of the communities had noticeably improved, but most respondents to the study said they were still struggling to sustain themselves.
The BIDS study was unveiled during a virtual seminar arranged by the institute yesterday afternoon. Lead researcher Dr Mohammad Harunur Rashid Bhuyan presented the study, “Evaluating the Impact of Development Program for Improving the Living Standards of the Hijra, Bede and Underprivileged Communities.”
More than 50% of the respondents from each of the three categories (Hijra, Bede, other underprivileged communities) said the amount given as a one-time allowance was not sufficient for medical treatment.
As many as 66.3% of hijra respondents received Income Generating Activity (IGA) training and Tk10,000 to start their own business. However, only 20% of them used the money to start a new profession, while 40% used it in unproductive sectors.
The percentages were similar for respondents from the Bede and other underprivileged communities.
In case of women empowerment, 61.27% of Bede respondents in the program needed permission from male family members to get involved in new jobs, while 68.50 % respondents from other underprivileged communities said they needed to consult their husbands before buying land and making decisions.
The BIDS study also found that the DSS program had only politically empowered members of the Hijra community, and not the Bede or other underprivileged communities.
The lack of a plan for re-training beneficiaries, demand for a certificate from school headmasters for clearing stipends for students, and a lack of follow-up after completion of the training are the major weaknesses of the program, the study said.
Dr Mohammad Harunur Rashid Bhuyan said a lack of quality housing facilities was also causing sufferings for members of the underprivileged communities. He recommended initiating accommodation projects akin to the Ashrayan Project for them.
He also suggested providing Tk50,000 instead of Tk10,000 for starting businesses.
As there was confusion over the population of the Hijra community in the country, he suggested conducting a census.
Dr Narayan Das, one of the three researchers in the study, said it had been observed that members of the Hijra community were less integrated than those of the Bede and other under-privileged communities.
Senior research fellow Sharifa Begum said the program had a design weakness and it was therefore necessary to change it after an immediate evaluation.
The director general of BIDS, Dr Binayek Sen, said: “These communities need to be brought under a well-organized safety net program. The government needs to find a way to facilitate the new generations from the Hijra, Bede and other underprivileged communities to adopt new professions and sustainably improve their living standards.”
