Dalit and marginalized communities in Bangladesh continue to live with entrenched discrimination, economic hardship, and social exclusion. Generations of stigma tied to caste and occupation have left millions facing barriers to education, healthcare, and basic dignity. Estimates of the Dalit population range from 4.5 to 6.5 million, though some reports suggest as high as 7.5 million, and the absence of accurate statistics has kept them largely invisible in policymaking.
Dalits are routinely denied access to public places, refused housing or land, and face humiliation in schools and workplaces. Economically, more than half of Dalit families earn less than 5,000 taka a month, while nearly three-quarters are in debt just to cover daily needs. In education, 63 percent of Dalit children drop out of primary school, while in higher education participation is less than 2 percent. Health outcomes are similarly stark, with Dalit women’s life expectancy averaging only 40 years compared to 55 among higher castes, and over half suffering from anemia.
Although Bangladesh’s Constitution guarantees equality and prohibits discrimination, there is still no specific law to address caste-based exclusion. The Anti-Discrimination Bill 2022 was tabled in Parliament but has not been passed. Advocates have stressed the need for stronger protections, including a clear legal definition of Dalits, the creation of a Dalit Commission, and constitutional recognition of their identity.
Recommendations outlined include quotas and stipends for Dalit students, vocational training to expand employment, community healthcare, housing and land allocations, and greater representation in governance. Rights groups emphasize that alongside policy reform, broad social awareness is necessary to dismantle practices of untouchability.
[These issues were raised in an op-ed by Farah Kabir, Country Director of ActionAid Bangladesh, published in Prothom Alo on 6 September 2025]
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