Bangladesh’s informal economy’s importance cannot be stated enough; there are estimates that close to 90% of all those employed are in the informal economy. Of these, hawkers are among the most prominent, with the Bangladesh Hawkers Federation stating that there are approximately 270,000 in the two city corporation areas of Dhaka alone.
To that end, it is shocking to learn that if recent reports are to be believed, there is mass extortion of hawkers and street vendors in Dhaka, where they are forced to pay a staggering Tk3,000 crore annually to corrupt officials and criminal syndicates. This is nothing short of a moral outrage that should strike at the heart of our values as a nation, and must be looked into immediately by the authorities concerned.
Hawkers are not wealthy businessmen or corporate tycoons but ordinary citizens trying to make an honest living by selling affordable goods and services on our streets. Many are rural migrants who are in Dhaka in search of better prospects.
It truly is a shame then that, instead of being supported and encouraged, they are subjected to constant harassment, evictions, and fear-mongering. Vested interest groups see the vulnerability of these hawkers as an opportunity for profiteering, robbing them of their hard-earned income.
This cannot be the norm for our country. Despite our development, true progress cannot be achieved by trampling on the rights and dignity of some of our most vulnerable citizens.
Our informal economy remains a vital lifeline that deserves our respect and support and we must thus empower small entrepreneurs and create an enabling environment for their success, not allow nefarious parties to extort them.
To that end, it is shocking to learn that if recent reports are to be believed, there is mass extortion of hawkers and street vendors in Dhaka, where they are forced to pay a staggering Tk3,000 crore annually to corrupt officials and criminal syndicates. This is nothing short of a moral outrage that should strike at the heart of our values as a nation, and must be looked into immediately by the authorities concerned.
Hawkers are not wealthy businessmen or corporate tycoons but ordinary citizens trying to make an honest living by selling affordable goods and services on our streets. Many are rural migrants who are in Dhaka in search of better prospects.
It truly is a shame then that, instead of being supported and encouraged, they are subjected to constant harassment, evictions, and fear-mongering. Vested interest groups see the vulnerability of these hawkers as an opportunity for profiteering, robbing them of their hard-earned income.
This cannot be the norm for our country. Despite our development, true progress cannot be achieved by trampling on the rights and dignity of some of our most vulnerable citizens.
Our informal economy remains a vital lifeline that deserves our respect and support and we must thus empower small entrepreneurs and create an enabling environment for their success, not allow nefarious parties to extort them.
