Organization: Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio and Communication (BNNRC)

Country: Bangladesh

Executive Summery

Since February 2017, BNNRC has been implementing the project “Human Rights in Development of Gender Diverse Population” having partnership with 16 Community Radio Stations in Bangladesh. The objective of the project are to create awareness on third gender issues towards establishing their human dignity in the society. The project activities are – production and on air of radio program on Empowering Third Gender through Community Radio in Bangladesh  covering the issues- accessing healthcare, education, job, public transportation and constitutional rights. This project contributed in better understanding using Community Radio on third gender issues and facilitated access to public services and other facilitates

Project description (activity’s description)

In Bangladesh, Gender Diverse Population (Hijra Community) are socially excluded- living on the fringes of society, harassed by the police and abused by the public. Though most of them are involved in singing and dancing at the wedding ceremonies or child birth as a part of their traditional Badhai culture but a few of them are in begging and engage in sex trade. Violence against Hijra community, especially Hijra sex workers, is often brutal, and occurs in public spaces, police stations, prisons, and their homes too.

Rural communities in Bangladesh have yet to understand and recognize the multidimensional aspects of gender-identity discrimination and the physical and emotional effects of stereotypical perceptions experienced by Hijras. While the third gender has been recognized by the Government, Hijras continue to face extreme discrimination at present daily and in every aspect of their lives. From accessing healthcare services, education, safe living spaces, public transportations and constitutional rights. They severely deprive from the opportunities to earn a decent livelihood, and ultimately denied their basic human rights, respect and dignity. At present, there are 10,000 Hijras are living in Bangladesh.

To sensitize the stakeholders on human rights of gender diver’s population, BNNRC has been implementing this campaign project for disseminating information to motivate with the following objectives:

Objectives:

• To increase awareness and knowledge among the gender diverse populations about their human rights of Third gender
• To improve the environment for the gender diverse population with access to public services through sensitizing policy makers & stakeholders
• To enhance the capacity of relevant stakeholders to reduce harassment, stigma, discrimination and human rights violations based on sexual orientation and gender identity
• To increase the empowerment of the gender diverse population through capacity building by addressing their human rights issues.

The project activities were started through a day long orientation program, where  total 12 youth and youth women (community radio broadcasters) from three radio stations of the country had got better understanding, knowledge and gathered skills on how to produce an effective magazine program.

`The program Manush Manusher Janno’ ( Human for Humanity )  are on air  in the coverage area of three Community radio stations situated three different area of Bangladesh. The radio stations are Community Radio Pollikontho (Moulvibazar), Community Radio SagarGiri (Chittagong) and Community  Radio Bikrampur (Munsiganj). Besides, Public Service announcements (PSA) has also broadcasted through rest 13 Community radio stations. These radio stations are Community Padma, Community Radio Nalta, Community Radio Lokobetar, Community Radio Mahananda, Community Radio Mukti, Commuity Radio Chilmari, Community Radio Jhenuk, Community Radio Sundarban, Community Radio Naf, Community Borendro Radio, Community Radio Sagardwip and Community Radio Sarabela.

The program was designed in two segments; the first segment a magazine program, which was a combination of report, vox-pop, interview, promo, public service announcement (PSA), awareness building songs and dramas. The second segment in the program was dialogue, where three local guests including one transgender person discussed on the issues like- constitutional rights, free treatment facility in government and private hospitals, discrimination free education, life skill training courses, employment opportunity, reserve seats for Hijra in public transports, Community/ family-based rehabilitation and legal aid for this vulnerable community. The services are delivering from Social Service Department, Upazilla Social Welfare Department, Civil Society, local NGOs, Human rights organization and Transgender Community etc.

These magazine program and PSAs are contributing to make aware transgender communities as well as government line departments, development sector, private sector, NGOs, academia and overall community people – together put in concerted efforts for the inclusion of Hijras in the daily community life in rural Bangladesh. Most importantly, the voices of the Hijra community – their ideas, aspirations and solutions – must be at the heart of this process.

Examples of Linkages between the WSIS Action Line and the SDGs

The project has addressed the Action Line C 3 (Access to Information and knowledge). Community Radio as an alternative media upholds the access to information of grass-root and vulnerable people in our society. In Bangladesh, this newly established Community Radios have created scope for the poor and marginalized community to raise their own voice those who were voiceless in last decades. This neo-media outlet opened scope to establish their rights to information and communication in social, political, cultural and environmental areas.

The project has also addressed the Action line C 8 (Cultural Diversity and Identity Linguistic diversity and Local Content). Earlier Hijra communities in Bangladesh were neglected and not accepted by the main stream of the society due superstitions. Even the beggars have their identity in society but Hijras do not get the same. They are marginalized and capped by the mislead societal norms. Community Radio as an alternative media upholds the access of these neglected community vulnerable people in our society. In Bangladesh, this newly established Community Radios have created scope for this neglected marginalized community to raise their own voice towards establishing the identity, fundamental rights.  This neo-media outlet opened scope them to raise their voice without any hazard.

The program is facilitating for creating equitable, tolerant and socially inclusive environment where the needs of the most vulnerable are met in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG10): Reduce inequality.

Highlights of the project’s partnership Activities:

Mowsumy, a 25 years old Hijra lives in a rented house at Munshiganj town. She stays with her Guru Ma (Leader of the local transgender community). Her income source is singing and dancing on the occasion of weddings or child birth as well as pleading in local market. But this life is not chosen by Mowsumy. Mowsumy was born in a well-off Muslim family and she was abandoned by her family at the age of 10 years, when her abnormal attitude was revealed as man. After that she was taken care by her Guru Ma.

In the radio talk show of `Manush Manusher Janno’( Human for Humanity ) at Radio Bikrampur in Munshiganj, Mowsumy came to know about Govt. Social Safety Net program and the rights of transgender community. After that she applied to Social Service Department to get facilities under the Social Safety Net program. Recently she has enlisted for entitling the existing facilities. Now Mowsumy is trying to stablished her right on her paternal properties.

Although this is the first initiative in the country to focus on improving human rights of gender diver’s population in Bangladesh with community radio, already the content of the program has made a huge interest within the target group. The listeners have given feedback, opinion and recommendation on the programs through SMS, phone call, Facebook link, station visit and interviews. Among them there were people from different strata of the society like-transgender community, youth, teachers, students, journalists, family members of transgender persons, advocate, development workers, govt. officials, local governmental officers, local public leader, related NGOs worker etc.

The program has created a strong linkage between local resource (elite) persons and Hijra community as well as with the community radios. The Hijra community are going to utilise this link-up to advocate for getting govt. social safety net services.

Challenges and future perspectives for the project

Working with any social problems could bring some challenges more over when a community is extremely marginalized from their gender identity, legal rights, social services and social acceptance. The radio broadcasters have also faced some obstacles like-unwillingness of Third Gender Persons (TGP) for taking part in radio programs and again societal role was not too favorable to work with the third gender persons.

Though facing all these challenges, the program has been running successfully with the coordination of BNNRC. BNNRC in collaboration with Bandhu Social Welfare Society (BSWS) has been broadcasting magazine programs to increase community awareness on the human rights for these most vulnerable members of the society. It has also helped to ensure equal rights for Hijra and increased their engagement with the mainstream development of the society.