Organized by HRCB 2013 HRCB Fundraising 2013

Bangladesh: A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

The demography of Bangladesh is drastically changing. In 6 decades, the Hindu population has come down from 31% to 9%. No one is concerned with this startling information, neither the major political parties of Bangladesh nor the civil society. Ethnic minorities in Hill Tracts and religious minorities all around the are no longer safe. My question is how we can stop this silent ongoing ethnic cleansing process? Also whose Job is to ensure safety and security of religious, and ethnic minorities? *Bangladesh Government *Opposition Parties *Civil Society *International Community A silent ethnic cleansing process A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

The map to the right illustrates the Diaspora of minorities in Bangladesh. Once, many of these places were predominantly Hindu, or at least contained a sizeable Hindu population. The minority populations are still dwindling to even more alarming rate. Minority population in Bangladesh A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

· Minorities do NOT get justice from Governments. Murder · Abduction, especially children and young women · Gang rape, often targeted multiple members of the same family for land · Forced conversion to Islam · Religious vandalism, including arson and the destruction of Hindu temples and deities · Violent seizures of Hindu properties carried out under the protection of police or other officials · Assaults on defenseless victims · Organized attacks by Jihadist mobs Major causes of minority population decline A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

Source: Human Right Defense International 31% 19% 9% 11% 14% Shocking decline of Minority population in Bangladesh A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

1947: India-Pakistan division 1964: India-Pakistan war 1971: Liberation war 2001: Rightist/Fundamentalist election win 2013: War crime prosecution Major Declining points of Minority Population A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

The smaller portions of the pie chart represent the minority populations of Bangladesh, as you can see, the slices are continually getting thinner… Demographic changes since the Liberation War A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

The red patches indicate districts in which ethnic violence has taken place against racial minorities. These are only the reported regions. Violence at rural level exists but not being documented here. Targeted Areas of Ethnic Violence A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

Alarming Drop in Minority Populations Source : Population census IBS, Population census BBS, and Population census PBS A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

Designate Jamat-E-Islam Bangladesh as a Terrorist Organization. Ask Bangladesh Government and Main Opposition to Protect Hindus, Buddhists, Christians, and other ethnic Minorities. Condition any assistance, grant or funding given to Bangladesh to Human Rights records in Bangladesh. Condition the employment of Bangladeshi troops in UN to Human Rights records in Bangladesh. HRCB pleads to the International Community to… A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing

Bring the perpetrators of “crime against humanity” and give them exemplary punishment. Provide compensations to the victims of religious/ethnic violence and reconstruct all temples and places of worship. Ensure free and fair justice for minorities from the judiciary and administrative authority. Return the Vested Property to original owners with immediate effect. Implement the Chittagong Hill Tract Peace Treaty. Stop inequality against religious and ethnic minorities in all levels of government and non government jobs, including the military and law enforcement department. HRCB demands that the Bangladesh government… A Silent Case of Ethnic Cleansing