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Photo Reportage from the European Commission Delegation visit to a Dalit Community in Bangladesh - June 2009

The EC delegation visits Pangu Dalit Colony, Agargaon, Dhaka. Head of Delegation, Stefan Frowein, is appalled at the extreme poverty that Dalits suffer as a result of social exclusion and discrimination.
Space is tight in the colony, basic services are lacking and people live in terrible conditions.
94 percent of Dalits in Bangladesh are illiterate; very few children from this community attend school.
During the monsoon season water levels rise to a 1/2 meter over floor level in many of the huts. This is only made worse by the destructive effects of climate change on Bangladesh.
Henri Tiphagne (pictured above) from People's Watch in Tamil Nadu, Zakir Hossein from BDERM in Bangladesh and Durga Sob from FEDO in Nepal, briefed the delegation on specific country situations.
The delegation visitors are greeted by friendly smiles in the Dalit community