Description
BNNRC has been implemented the project for empowering, voicing & connecting the Transgender community through resilience, awareness of the rights. The radios are broadcasting an altogether 142 hours program per day on information, education, local entertainment, human rights, and development motivation activities.
The goal of the project is to sensitize for social inclusion and recognition of and empowerment of the Transgender community.
The Objective of the project is to e-enable, e-engage & e-empower of the Transgender Community for promoting rights increasing skills, and access to social safety-net.
The Transgender community is socially excluded. At present, there are 10,000 Transgender people are living in Bangladesh. These radio programs have been contributed to make aware about transgender community as well as multi-stakeholders for access to health education and media as well as involve them under the social safety-net program. It is important to create employment opportunities for the community.
After the implementation of the program now the Transgender community is raising their voice to the local administration through community media which promoting and increased their participation as well as access to health services and the social safety net.
Partnership:
1. Community Radio Padma 99.2FM, Monafer Morh, Rajshahi
Email: radiopadma@gmail.com
2. Community Radio Nalta 99.2FM, Kaligonj, Satkhira
Email: info_radionalta@naltahospital.org.bd
3. Community Radio Lokobetar 99.2FM, Barguna Sadar, Barguna
Email: lokobetar@gmail.com
4. Community Radio Sagor Giri 99.2FM, Sitakunda, Chattogram
Email: sagorgiri@gmail.com
5. Community Radio Mahananda 98.8FM, Belepukur, Chapai Nawabgonj
Email: sm@radiomahananda.fm
6. Community Radio Mukti 99.2FM, Maloti Nagar, Bogura
Email: news.rmfm.bd@gmail.com
7. Community Radio Chilmari 99.2FM, Chilmari, Kurigram
Email: radiochilmari@gmail.com
8. Community Radio Jhenuk 99.2FM, Pabahati, Jhenaidah
Email: radiojhenuk@gmail.com
9. Community Radio Naf 99.2FM, Teknaf, Cox’s Bazar
Email: radionaf@gmail.com
10. Community Radio Borendro 99.2FM, Naogaon Sadar, Naogoan
Email: 99.20fm@gmail.com, info.borendroradio@gmail.com
11. Community Radio Bikrampur 99.2FM, Dewbhogh, Munshigonj
Email: radio@ecbangladesh.org
12. Community Radio Meghna 99.0FM, Charfashion, Bhola
Email: info@radiomeghna.net
13. Community Radio Sagordwip 99.2FM, Hatiya, Noakhali
Email: radioshagordwip@gmail.com
14. Community Radio Sarabela 98.8FM, Radhakrishnapur, Gaibandha
Email: radiosarabela@gmail.com
15. Community Radio Boral 99.0FM, Bagha, Rajshahi
Email: radioboral.program@gmail.com, sm@radioboral.org
Importance of the partnership.
The Fifteen (15) community radios are developing and broadcasting radio programs on the rights of the gender-diverse population for sensitizing the mass people on this issue. The contents of the program are developed in-consultation and participation of gender diverse population and designed following the local dialects and issues. Representatives of the third gender population are taking part in producing and broadcasting the programs. The format of the radio programs is Public Service announcement (PSA) and magazine by blending songs, case stories, drama, and talks.
Start date: June 2018 26. End date: December 2021
Geographical coverage
Community Radios reach programs in 14 districts, covering 6 divisional geographic regions namely Rangpur, Rajshahi, Khulna, Barisal, Dhaka, and Chattogram in Bangladesh. Literacy rates, culture, dialect, ritual norms, profession, and fashion of communication of these regions are different but the need is similar and almost the same. This project was designed to address the need of all seven regions and its communities as they face the same threat of COVID – 19.
Target beneficiary group
The project aims to make the community people aware and engage them to minimize the discrimination of this social issue. Presently, 15 community radio stations are reaching approximately 8 million people through this initiative. The target of the project is to aware the whole community who lives in the broadcasting areas.
Replicability
The project has been implemented through the engagement of listeners, local media, social media users and community media broadcasters for developing and broadcasting radio programs. So, the project is replicable all over the world where Radio waves and Social Media (SM) is available and functioning. The project activities can be run by the trained up local community broadcasters
Sustainability
In the era of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) and rapid change of global context, the Radio program becomes a tool to reach wider audiences for building awareness on human rights towards reducing inequalities of the society. So, the hard to reach and untouched rural audiences especially the multi-stakeholder need to know about the rights of the Transgender community and let them free from the social man-created obstacles. Hence Community Radio can play a vital role to make people aware to minimize the discrimination of society and for coping with the competitive global challenges collectively. As radio and social media is the most popular media, cheaper, portable, and easily accessible so with the contribution of the community, the program could be run to remove the social barriers and stigma.
WSIS values promotion
Through this intervention, WSIS values in Bangladeshi communities is strongly adhered and promoted extensively. This is done through increasing community awareness especially for taking appropriate actions and preventive measures to reduce this discrimination and promote the rights of the Transgender community collectively.
WSIS action lines
AL C8. Cultural diversity and identity, linguistic diversity and local content
WSIS action lines relevance
AL C8: Strengthen program focused on gender-sensitive curricula in formal and non-formal education for all and enhancing communication and media literacy for transgender with a view to build the capacity and develop ICT contents.
Sustainable development goals (SDGs)
Goal 10: Reduce inequality within and among countries
SDGs relevance
SDG Goal 10
Contribution to the implementations of WSIS Action Lines and the Sustainable Development Goals
The project has also addressed the Action line C 8 (Cultural Diversity and Identity Linguistic diversity and Local Content). Earlier Transgender community in Bangladesh was neglected and not accepted by the mainstream of society due to superstitions and social taboo. 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 a scope for this socially excluded marginalized community to raise their own voice towards establishing identity, fundamental rights. This neo-media outlet opened the scope for them to raise their voice without any hazard.
The program is facilitating for creating an equitable, tolerant, and socially inclusive environment where the needs of the most vulnerable are met in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 10 (SDG-10): Reduce inequality within and among countries.
Impact
The program has created a strong linkage between local resource provider, power-holder and duty bearer. The Transgender community are going to utilize this link-up to advocate for getting govt. social safety net services. The acceptance of the community to involve in the mainstream is increasing day by day. Now a few numbers of Transgender people are trained up and broadcasting program through community radios.
Challenges
The Transgender community are representing the extremely marginalized group by their gender identity, legal rights, social services and social acceptance. The radio broadcasters have also faced some obstacles like-unwillingness of Transgender people for taking part in radio programs and the societal role was not too favorable to work with the Transgender community.
It is difficult to organize the Transgender community and the people community have a negative attitude towards the community and inclusion in the society is one of the major challenges for the community.
Though facing all these challenges, the program has been running successfully with the coordination of BNNRC. It has been broadcasting magazine programs to increase community awareness on the human rights of these most vulnerable members of society. It has also helped to ensure equal rights for Transgender and increased their engagement with the mainstream development of society.
Extended description
This is the first initiative in the country to focus on improving the 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, advocates, development workers, govt. officials, local governmental officers, local public leaders, related NGO workers, 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 is going to utilize this link-up to advocate for getting govt. social safety net services.
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