Table 2 Discourse group overview.
Discourse group | The Landless (Discourse A—Female) | The Displaced (Discourse B—Male) | The Sacrificed (Discourse C—Female) | The Returners (Discourse D— Female) | The Dreamers (Discourse E— Female) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Q-Most agree statements | 2. The riverbank erosion forced us to move here +5 | 30. I would like to return to my home district +5 | 2. The riverbank erosion forced us to move here +5 | 31. Job opportunities played an important role in our decision to move +5 | 1. I could get evicted tomorrow +5 |
1. I could get evicted tomorrow +4 | 1. I could get evicted tomorrow +4 | 1. I could get evicted tomorrow +4 | 30. I would like to return to my home district +4 | 13. Women live a better life here +4 | |
27. I thought my living conditions would improve after migrating +4 | 16. If I only had enough money to start up a new life I would go +4 | 10. If I could move from Bhola Slum I would +4 | 11. It does not feel right to abandon the people living here +4 | 39. My husband needs to be the one deciding if we stay or go +4 | |
Q-Most disagree statements | 5. Things would have been better if I never moved here −5 | 12. The cyclones were the main reason why I moved here −5 | 13. Women live a better life here −5 | 3. My health issues do not allow me to migrate −5 | 30. I would like to return to my home district −5 |
17. I am not mentally strong enough to move −4 | 15. I migrated because education here is better −4 | 34. My indebtedness does not allow for me to go −4 | 4. I sacrificed my honour in the struggles here −4 | 5. Things would have been better if I never moved here −4 | |
22. If I leave I lose everything I invested into this place −4 | 21. It was unsafe where I was living −4 | 7. There have to be people I know in the new destination −4 | 23. This is not where I belong −4 | 18. Bhola Slum is not a good place −4 | |
Survey | |||||
Women | 10 | 2 | 5 | 3 | 3 |
Age | 21–47 | 21–60 | 26–56 | 20–31 | 25–52 |
Livelihood | Housewives/housemaids | Garment factory | Household decision-makers (4)/housewife/housemaid (1) | Housewives (3)/garment factory (1) | Garment factory (3)/housemaids/housewives (3) |
Men | 5 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 |
Age | 26–44 | 16–47 | 27–61 | 26–66 | 45 |
Livelihood | Construction work/day-labourers | Construction work/garment factory/day-labourers/taxi-drivers/fruit sellers | Day-labourers/selling vegetables or nuts/pulling rickshaw | Permanently contacted construction workers/transport or security workers | Permanently contracted plumbers/electricians/ construction work supervisors |
Total | 15 | 11 | 9 | 6 | 5 |
Education | Most never attended school, those who did only for 2–3 years. | Most attended school for 2–3 years (7), although two men report having gone to school for 6–8 years. | Half of the group attended school for 2–3 years. | Half of the group attended school for 2–4 years. | Most attended school for more than 4 years (4). |
Migration history | All except one woman moved to Bhola Slum. | All moved to Dhaka, many between the years of 2001–2010 (5). | Most migrated to Dhaka between 1990–2012 (7). | All arrived in Bhola Slum between 2000–2008. | Most migrated to Bhola Slum already around its creation in the 1970s. The only more recent move took place over 10 years ago. |
Most arrived between 2000–2014 (11). | One man and one woman engaged in seasonal construction work. | Most women left the island due to family related troubles with their step-mothers. | |||
Two men carried out seasonal work elsewhere in the past. | |||||
Migration desire | Most want to return to Bhola Island (9), nobody wants to move to another rural area and only one would move to another city. | Many want to return to Bhola Island (5). | Most want to return to Bhola Island (5) or other rural home villages (2). | Most want to leave Bhola Slum within 5 years (4). | Many are willing to stay in Bhola Slum within the next 5 years as they have invested time and money into the settlement (3). |
Most willing to stay in Bhola Slum for the next 5 years due to work opportunities (12), although another area of Dhaka would be better as rent is lower, no eviction risk, more work and better social environment (9). | Most do not see themselves staying in Bhola Slum within the next 5 years (9). | Most willing to stay in Bhola Slum for the next 5 years to save up money (5), but moving to another area in Dhaka would be better (7). Only one would consider moving to another urban area in Bangladesh. | Most want to return to Bhola Island or other rural home villages. | Most do not pay rent as they ‘own/occupy’ the rights to the governmental land (4). | |
Two women want to send their sons abroad to Malaysia or Saudi Arabia. | Most would move to another area of Dhaka temporarily (5). | Long-term they want to move to another urban area as work and education is better here, only one want to return to Bhola Island. The environmental stressors on the island are too much of a risk for the others. | |||
One man would consider moving to another urban area in Bangladesh as education is better here for his son. One woman would consider sending her son abroad. | Most want to move abroad (3) to Mauritius or Saudi Arabia where they can make more money and create a better life. |
