Published: 07 January 2026
Although the Constitution of Bangladesh and various state plans and policies highlight the rights and priorities of marginalized groups regarding social security, the specific inclusion of indigenous communities has not reached the expected level. The relevant legal frameworks and guidelines for social safety net programs lack explicit recognition of the fair and equal rights of indigenous people. Furthermore, the participation of indigenous people in policy-making, planning, and budget allocation at both national and local levels has not been ensured. Due to various factors, including the lack of constitutional recognition of the "Indigenous" (Adibashi) identity, they are being deprived of their rightful entitlements. Indigenous communities excluded from the controversial and flawed list of "Small Ethnic Groups" created under the Small Ethnic Groups Cultural Institutions Act 2010 are being deprived of government services, designated quotas, and social safety net benefits.
While the Eighth Five-Year Plan (2020-2025) and the National Social Security Strategy (2015) identify poverty, food insecurity, low literacy rates, and land issues of the indigenous people in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT), similar issues faced by plain-land indigenous people as a marginalized group have not been addressed. Despite decisions in the Eighth Five-Year Plan to establish a separate perspective plan for the CHT and a land commission for plain-land indigenous people, these have not been implemented.
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