Discrimination and Social stigma 7. We were born in Bangladesh. In schools and colleges, people don’t like us. Why? We are humans before Biharis. I’m a Bangladeshi just like you. (Mohammadpur, Male, 18) 8. In the daily life, Biharis face social alienation because of their ancestry, including mockery, harassment, and discrimination. Because of this, many Biharis try to hide their identity by speaking only Bangla in public, but their national identification cards list their camp address. While marriage between Bengalis and Biharis is increasingly common, many Bengalis refuse to marry their children to Biharis. Employers often decline to hire Biharis, particularly for government jobs, or demand larger bribes for positions than is typical.1 A difficult job market often forces Bihari parents to remove their children from school so they can earn income. 9. Public and private institutions are often inaccessible or discriminatory. Some camp residents have access to adequate healthcare, whereas in other areas governmentrun hospitals are far away and private clinics are too expensive. State ministries often refuse to provide passports to Biharis in violation of Bangladeshi law or demand large bribes. While some participants said the police provide protection in the camps, others said police officers ignore their problems or unfairly blame Biharis for crimes. Allegiance 10. I was born in this country and I am a citizen. I love this country dearly. Maybe those from our previous generations didn’t understand this, but we do. If we were in Bangladesh back then, then we too would have fought for this country in the war. We too respect those who sacrificed their lives for this country. We love the language martyrs as well… As I was born in this country, I love this land. I have become a citizen, so I want my rights. (Chittagong, Male, 37) Camp Life 11. The living conditions in the camps are poor. Housing is cramped and dilapidated. Whole families, often with 6 or more members, live together in a single room, with little space for sleeping, studying, or cooking. Fire is a constant hazard “we share beds with 2 or 3 other people at night and then use the floor” also there are too few toilets, which are often dirty or broken. Camp dwellers reported that in many camps fewer than 10 public toilets service hundreds of residents “The condition of the toilets is so bad that you wouldn’t want to use it if you looked inside…We use the toilet with our eyes closed. In some areas, drinking water is unclean “when we open the water tap, it looks like blood is coming out the water is so dirty” (Mohammadpur, Male, 37). Camp roads are narrow, crumbling, and flood easily. Camp Eviction 12. The camp dwellers are very anxious about the threat of camp eviction. They continue to feel insecurity about their land and housing situation, despite the efforts of camp leaders to try to negotiate with the government to stop evictions. In 1993, the National Housing Society sold the land of the Bihari camps in Mirpur, Dhaka, as plots 2