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As out-migration continues to devastate rural life across the Midwest, those left behind find solace in communal activities like drinking at the numerous town bars that line rural highways. These bars, often locally owned, are windows into the…

Camps once located on land of little value now sit in highly populated urban areas where real estate prices are at a premium. Laws drafted thrity five years ago to protect the camps are seldom enforced. Evictions for private development are not…

Most camps are now comprised primarily of people born after 1971. Young Bihari consider Bangladesh their home and feel it is essential that they are recognized and provided with the rights granted to all Bangladeshi citizens. Bihari youth gather at…

Without citizenship status, the Bihari have no social safety net supporting them. Most Bihari in camps do not have access to healthcare, as less than a handful of camps have clinics. A sick 75 year-old-man sits alone in his room in Pat Godam Camp…

In 2004, the Bangladesh government discontinued food relief to the camps, making it more difficult for families to provide for themselves. Two in five babies born to the Bihari live to the age of five. Exhausted and sick, a mother rests with her…

It is not uncommon for men to leave their wives to marry local Bengali women simply to obtain the rights afforded from Bangladesh citizenship. Left by her husband, this 20-year-old girl has no family to help support her and her young baby. She…

Two young boys work behind textile looms in Football Camp in Dhaka. Like many Bihari families, difficulties accessing education, poverty and the lack of economic opportunities force children into the workforce instead of school.

Prior to 2003, Bihari children were denied access to all government public schools. Even now, the Bihari are not permitted to secondary or university level schools. For many children, camp mosques serve as one of the only places to obtain any kind…

Unemployment is incredibly high in the camps. Bihari men lack the skills to do more than manual day-labor jobs and are prohibited from working in even the lowest paying government jobs. Most face harassment and discrimination when trying to find…

Before 1971, the Bihari owned land, held government jobs and were prosperous members in the community. A 60-year-old man in Pat Godam Camp in the town of Mymensingh holds a photo of himself at the age of 19. 'My family had 41 acres of land. We…