In Muslim-majority Bangladesh, efforts by the Catholic Church and Caritas Bangladesh to address land issues affecting religious and ethnic minority tribal groups have stalled due to a lack of donor funding.
The ‘Indigenous Development Program’ launched and managed since 2000 by Caritas has been temporarily suspended, halting initiatives such as appointing lawyers to resolve land disputes involving Indigenous peoples, providing financial assistance to reclaim mortgaged land, and offering legal advice.
“There was a long-standing issue and litigation with the local Muslim community over our land. In 2015, Muslims attacked, burned, and looted our houses. For four years after that, Caritas Bangladesh and the Church provided us with case management and relief assistance,” said Salvenus Hembrom, an Indigenous Santal leader and Catechist from Chirakuta village.
Since 2019, Caritas has been unable to support the tribals of Chirakuta village in the northern, Indigenous-dominated Dinajpur Diocese due to the discontinuation of funding for the program.
Since then, the tribals have been managing lawsuits on their own, but it is clearly evident today that the situation has only deteriorated.
“As long as Caritas and the Catholic Church stand directly with us, offering legal advice, we move forward confidently and courageously. Now, that is not the case,” Hembrom said.
