Amnesty International has released a report highlighting the ongoing struggles of Dalit women sanitation workers in Bangladesh, stressing the urgent need for improvements in their access to safe water and sanitation. The report, Left Behind in the Storm, draws upon field interviews conducted from April to June, alongside site visits and consultations with local officials and clinicians in the regions of Khulna and Satkhira.
Dalit women, marginalized by caste and gender discrimination, face significant challenges in securing clean water. Many travel long distances to purchase treated water, a financial burden exacerbated by low incomes. Nearby water sources, such as ponds and wells, are often contaminated, while household latrines remain structurally vulnerable, frequently flooded, and lacking proper lighting. These conditions run contrary to the mandates of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR), which demands equal and nondiscriminatory access to safe water.
Amnesty International also pointed to the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (ICERD), emphasizing that essential services must proactively target entrenched inequalities. General Recommendations 29 and 32 under ICERD call for proactive measures to achieve tangible equality. Since the vast majority affected are women, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) places additional obligations on ensuring access to water, sanitation, and menstrual hygiene as critical health determinants. Specifically, CEDAW Article 12 and General Recommendation 24 seek to dismantle sex-based obstacles.
Isabelle Lassée, Deputy Director Research for South Asia at Amnesty International, stated that the intersection of caste and gender discrimination, coupled with inadequate infrastructure and climate vulnerabilities, continues to perpetuate cycles of exclusion and indignity. Exclusion from local Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) committees further complicates matters, leaving Dalit women without a voice in crucial decisions affecting their communities.
Challenges are compounded when crucial sanitation facilities in shelters, especially during emergency situations like post-cyclone conditions, are locked or segregated. Such practices violate international law’s mandate to assure equitable service access during emergencies, protecting health and dignity.
This report emerges as Bangladesh grapples with broader issues of governance and human rights under an interim administration. This transitional phase complicates the implementation of international obligations under ICESCR, ICERD, and CEDAW to shield marginalized groups. Resource constraints and foreign aid cutbacks further deepened disparities, notably impacting educational services in the Rohingya refugee camps.
Amnesty International has called for a coordinated response, urging the establishment of safe water points near Dalit communities, the adoption of affordable tariffs, and the integration of renewable energy solutions, such as solar power, for water treatment facilities. They also recommended the construction of elevated, secure, and well-lit latrines, robust complaint mechanisms, and guaranteed representation for Dalit women on WASH committees. These measures are aimed at ensuring programs are inclusive, transparent, and accommodate the needs of vulnerable populations.