Housing, Land and Property Law in Bangladesh

The Red Cross Red Crescent aims to respond to disasters as rapidly and effectively as possible, by mobilising its resources (people, money and other assets) and using its network in a coordinated manner so that the initial effects are countered and the needs of the affected communities are met.

The Australian Red Cross (ARC) is a key Partner National Society, supporting the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies' (IFRC) response to natural disasters in the Asia- Pacific.

The Red Cross Red Crescent has identified that better knowledge of local housing, land and property laws in the Asia-Pacific is vital to ensuring that emergency shelter is delivered efficiently and equitably in the aftermath of natural disasters.

Australian Red Cross, with technical support and initial research from IFRC, has provided the research template to which this memorandum responds. This memorandum comprises three main sections.

• The first section, entitled 'common tenure types', provides an overview of the different types of housing and land tenure in Bangladesh. It outlines the methods used to create and transfer tenure, and analyses the degree of security of tenure afforded by each form of tenure.

• The second section, entitled 'security of tenure of vulnerable groups', considers whether, and to what extent, certain groups face legal barriers to owning or accessing land and housing. This section focuses primarily on women, minority groups, indigenous groups and landless people, each of which face particular legal barriers.

• The third section, entitled 'eviction, expropriation and relocation', considers Bangladesh's statutory and case law which governs, or is applicable to, forced evictions and compulsory acquisition of land.