Satkhira District experienced significant political violence in the run-up to and during the January 2014 elections, including road blocks, picketing, vandalism, arson and attacks on minority communities. However, the work of one community action committee over the previous year successfully built relationships between the community and local police, helping to deter an escalation of politically motivated violence in the area.

In the run-up to the 2014 elections, Taltola Eidgah point, a strategic road junction in Labsa Ward 9, was a favoured spot for blockades during opposition hartels (strikes). There was also significant vandalism, arson and rioting around the blockade. In one instance, witnesses saw trees being torn down and set on fire by political activists from outside the community. In response the police began arresting local youths who they felt were responsible for the violence. Many of these arrests were indiscriminate, leading to innocent youth from inside the community being mistakenly arrested and detained.

In response to the situation the CAC – set up by Saferworld and BRAC in 2013 to help communities articulate their safety concerns and plan solutions – convened an urgent meeting to discuss what they could do. They knew that the youths who had been arrested were not those who had been instigating the violence. Taking the initiative, they approached the local administrations with information about suspects – something they only had the confidence to do because of the relationship built up with the police over the previous year. In response the police began to patrol the areas mentioned by the CAC more regularly to ascertain who was responsible for the violence, and they realised that the community information had been correct and released the local youths they had detained.

 

Participatory photography project participant and local journalist Altaf Hossain photographs the political violence in Taltola village, Labsa Ward 9, Satkhira District.

Creating communication lines

Satkhira District has historically been a stronghold of anti-government forces. Communities have experienced repression from authorities and the opposition – something which increased after the political unrest of 2012. The CAC’s initial attempts in 2013 to talk to local government officials about political violence (before the escalation of violence around the 2014 elections) had been unsuccessful, with authorities hesitant to engage on this particular topic because of the sensitivities it involved. But in the months since its formation, the CAC, with support from BRAC and Saferworld, was able to foster a more constructive relationship with local authorities and the police. Both were consulted for the initial needs assessments of communities within Satkhira and were also invited to the official launch of the CAC, covered by the media. Police and local officials pledged their support publically for the committee’s work and this created more positive relationships between the community and the police.

The committee worked with the police around safety issues, such as water logging, building trust and making the committee feel empowered to contact the police on a more regular basis. The group learned that even with different ideological views, they could work with the police to protect their local community. And while authorities had initially been hesitant to engage on political violence, with greater trust this started to become possible. Over time the local community in the blockade area felt they were not harassed by the police and that the police had a good understanding of where unrest was occurring.

Working together

At the same time, with support from BRAC on how to raise awareness in communities and raise sensitive issues, the CAC talked to local youths about the dangers of being involved in the unrest. Members of the committee realised they needed a systematic approach to passing on information from the police to dispel rumours that were fuelling violence. They met with local leaders, encouraging people within the community not to shelter those responsible for the violence and to allow the police to respond to the situation effectively. Local leaders passed on information to communities about the communication channel the CAC had with the police and authorities, and slowly communities gained greater trust in the police and realised the role they could play in supporting peace and stopping violence in their area. The CAC also worked with those in neighbouring districts who had been involved in the violence to ensure these communities were aware of the benefits of their work.

“We worked with communities to understand and address their genuine security issues,” said Rita Raselin Costa, BRAC’s Community Empowerment Programme Coordinator. “This helped create an enabling environment and a ‘security shade’ for people. During the elections, many communities were proactive in peacefully dealing with their own security issues. This was a real step forward in the relationship between authorities and communities. We also saw that the work of the community action committee gave them confidence to approach the police. This was new for them.”

When the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), the anti-terrorism unit of the Bangladesh Police, was subsequently called into Taltola village by the police about the unrest, they heard about the support the CAC had provided to the police to help deter the violence. As a consequence the RAB directly approached the CAC to see how they could work with the local communities to stop violence, leading to regular liaison between a CAC member and the local Detective Branch police member. The local RAB chief also gave out his mobile number to be contacted in case of arrests or unrest.

Before the CAC was established community members rarely took their problems to the police or local authorities as they found it difficult to get their support. The past year has built their confidence and ownership on how to approach and hold the police to account, while the relationships created through continued communication between the police and communities has been key to prevent an escalation in violence.

Saferworld and partner BRAC have been working with local communities, police and authorities in South West Bangladesh to help communities find solutions to their security concerns.

Find out more about Saferworld's work in Bangladesh.

Photography: Saferworld/Altaf Hossain.