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I've been doing a lot of internal political education on caste in Bangladesh, and how it translates to Muslim communities, many of whom do not have access to a critical analysis of the ways caste shows up in non-Hindu or non-Indian communities. A thread of links to learn more:
Unlike India or Nepal, Bangladesh has no official recognition of caste discrimination, hence there are no targeted national schemes or policies to eliminate the practice.
From the International Dalit Solidarity Network: Caste discrimination affects both Hindu & Muslim populations in Bangladesh, and perpetuates the poverty trap. Dalits exist far below the poverty line with extremely limited access to health services, education & employment.
The International Dalit Solidarity Network has created an extensive database on caste-based discrimination: https://idsn.org/links/?tag=bangladesh
Here's a video on caste discrimination in Bangladesh:
Here's a report by the Bangladesh Dalit and Excluded Rights Movement: https://idsn.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/02/Report_BDERM-9th-National-Council.pdf
Here's a breakdown of castes in Bangladesh: http://en.banglapedia.org/index.php?title=Dalit_Community
This video on the history of the Bangladeshi Dalit movement:
An ethnographic study on the lives of urban Dalits in Bangladesh: https://bdplatform4sdgs.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/An-Ethnographic-Journey-Through-the-Lives-of-Urban-Dalits-in-Bangladesh.pdf
Al Jazeera published this piece on Dalits in Dhaka who are pushing for anti-discrimination laws: https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/01/dhaka-dalits-push-anti-discrimination-law-2014117151914319174.html
"Ongoing discrimination has taken a toll on more than 6.5 million Dalits in Bangladesh. Due to their profession and identity, the Dalits - the term comes from the word dalit or "oppressed" - are still not allowed to rent houses outside their communities."
"At the time, the Namashudras [now Dalits] were called "the untouchables". According to studies on migration in South Asia, after facing cruelty in their homeland, Dalits began migrating from India to other South Asian countries as far back as 1605."
