Mainstreaming a must for welfare of ethnic minority : Speakers

RAJSHAHI, Aug 06 (BSS): Ensuring social justice and improvement of living condition of the ethnic minority people can be the best way of protecting and promoting their human rights, besides mainstreaming them everywhere in society.
They should be given equal access to their fundamental rights to land, food, shelter, healthcare, education and culture together with fulfilling other requirements for the sake of balanced development of the nation side by side achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Political and professional leaders and development activists expressed their views while speaking at a discussion on "Human Rights of Ethnic Minority People: Our Roles and Responsibilities to Improve the Situation '' at Shimanto Obokash in the city on Saturday.
More than 50 people representing cross-sections of professions, and communities joined the meeting hosted by Jatiya Adivasi Parishad (JAP).
Convener of Indigenous Affairs Parliamentary Caucus Fazley Hossain Badsha, MP, addressed the meeting as chief guest, while JAP Central Committee President Randranath Saren was in the chair.
JAP Adviser Debashsish Pramanik Debu and its leaders Bimal Kumar Rajoad, Sudhir Tirki, Subhash Chandra Hembrom and Ramproshad Mahato also spoke.
Fazle Hossain Badsha, lawmaker from Rajshahi-2 ,said the mainstream people's support is vital to protection of rights of the marginalised and ethnic minority people. Human rights movement will not succeed unless fundamental rights of the disadvantaged and low-income and ethnic groups are addressed first, he added.
He called upon the concerned authorities to come up with immediate steps to prevent the encroachment on the lands of the underprivileged people.
Badsha said the mainstream people should protect the rights of the minority groups and there should be a harmony between the mainstream people and the minority ethnic groups.
He said the ethnic minority people are hard working and have been playing a vital role in increasing farm production and stressed the need for removing the disparity between the ethnic people and the privileged population.