The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant increase in poverty in Bangladesh, particularly in urban areas. Rising food prices and high inflation rates further compounded the existing socioeconomic uncertainty. Social protection is vital to mitigate the effects of the crisis and enhance households’ resilience in the face of uncertainty. This policy brief provides insights into the experiences of urban residents living in poverty after the COVID-19 pandemic and the support they have received since the COVID-19 pandemic and derives implications for social protection programming in urban Bangladesh. Using secondary longitudinal data collected since the beginning of the pandemic, along with new quantitative surveys and qualitative data collected in Kallyanpur, Dhaka, and Santinagar, Chattogram in March 2023, this brief highlights high levels of precarity, the toll of poverty on mental health, widespread stigmatization and discrimination against residents of low-income neighbourhoods, and inadequate social protection support. It argues for the need to expand social protection in urban areas, counter area-based discrimination, ensure the dignified delivery of assistance, and provide an integrated policy response.
Authors: Roelen, Keetie; Al Mamun, Saklain; Chowdhury, Kabita; Diwakar, Vidya; Rabbi, Abu Sayem; Rownak, Raisa; Sultan, Maheen; Sumanthiran, Shilohni
Type: Policy Brief
Year: 2023