Bangladesh

In Bangladesh, ethnic discrimination against Biharis or ‘stranded Pakistanis’, an Urdu-speaking minority group, prevents them from accessing birth certificates for their children. They only became fully considered nationals of Bangladesh after a court decision in 2008. Even after legal recognition of their citizenship, Urdu-speaking Bangladeshi citizens suffer ethnic discrimination when seeking documentary proof of citizenship and accessing associated rights. Starting in late 2013, city officials in Dhaka began rejecting applications for birth certificates, citing internal instructions that prevent the issuance of birth certificates to ‘non-Bengalis’ or the client’s lack of proof of address. Biharis have been contained in camps for generations, so using a camp address to apply for birth certificates triggers administrative confusion over whether the former stateless refugees in camps are in fact Bengali citizens rightfully applying for documents proving their status. Some Biharis were encouraged to pay extra for urgent processing of birth certificates as officials claimed processing may take up to six months, but other Urdu-speaking camp dwellers received certificates within an average of 17 days. Following several rounds of negotiations, the local officials agreed to process birth certificate applications according to the law.