A Long Journey towards Social Inclusion: Initiatives of Social Workers for Hijra Population in Bangladesh

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to describe and analyze the recent social position of hijra as well as with the way social workers work with these people and the impact of their work. The aim of the study has been investigated by exploring the research questions focused on the perspectives of the hijra about their social acceptance, the addressing issues about social problem of hijra, working approach and actions by the social workers for social inclusion of hijra, the challenging experience of social work with hijra population and the way the initiatives for hijra including are them in the society. The study is conducted with eight individual interviews by the qualitative design. The interviewees have been conducted with four ordinary hijra, two social worker hijra and two social work activist from mainstream society. The materials of this study have been analyzed through the concept of community work, system theory, advocacy approach and the perspective of gender. The findings reveal the importance of a separate gender identity of hijra beyond male and female within the legal framework, the legal rights of sex work and the participation in the mainstream economic field which could make the possibility for hijra to bring the achievement of social acceptance. The findings also show that as the hijra populations are excluded from all the economic, civil and social rights because of their different gender approach and culture, the social work activists have concerned both the community’s quality of life and the social changes to ensure the social inclusion. Therefore, they counsel the community to make awareness about their rights as well as advocate some part of mainstream society in favor of hijra, for instance, neighbor area, hijra family, the policy maker, religious scholars etc. Moreover, the study also reveals the challenges with the government as well as work with mainstream society. The study concludes that along with the services by the social workers, the importance of the governmental supports is also significant for this marginalized people. Without support of the government there is a possibility to have threat to be banned this social work actions by the social and religious power. The government needs to be more responsible and aware of their commitment when they have already recognized this issue. Thus the results of the study explicitly urge the social work activist to make involve this community in their process as much as possible and put more effort to convince the government in order to approve the legal support, gender right and social inclusion.