Land grabbing is a major cause for concern in Bangladesh. Of course, a huge amount of land is illegally grabbed. According to the Land Ministry, about 1.3 million hectares of government-owned lands are currently grabbed by influential elites. Influential persons illegally grabbed government-owned lands in char areas, riversides, roadsides, forests, hill tracts and other areas. But it is difficult to exactly say about the total amount of lands illegally grabbed because there is a lack of record of illegally grabbed private lands.

Land disputes are one of the contested issues inherited the tribal districts, but after the merger, it has been constantly erupting into violence due to the government’s inactiveness. These disputes could be broadly categorized as 1) between individuals, 2) between tribes, 3) and government and the locals. Meanwhile, the lack of government interest in establishing a land record is not only the reason behind the violence, but an impediment to the progress of the tribal society.

From 30 August to 3 September 2021, the Natural Justice team organised activities benefiting local community defenders of human and environmental rights in Madagascar. Fifteen representatives of local communities, paralegals and Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) from 8 regions of the island participated in two activities: a legal empowerment session, and an advocacy and communication campaigning session. These representatives were specifically chosen because of their active involvement in finding solutions for the cases affecting their human and environmental rights.