Global Disclosure of Economics and Business, Volume 3, No 3/2014 ISSN 2305-9168(p); 2307-9592(e) Copyright © CC-BY-NC 2014, Asian Business Consortium | GDEB Page 27 Do the Slum Dwellers Enjoy the Basic Constitutional and Economic Rights as a Citizen in Bangladesh? Basharat Hossain Lecturer in Economics, Department of Business Administration, International Islamic University Chittagong, Bangladesh ABSTRACT Bangladesh is a country of about 156million people including nearly 7.81 million of slum people. This paper investigates 28 years data for 1986- 2014 periods on the living standard of slum dwellers of Bangladesh. It presents the different forms of deprivations, sufferings and miseries of slum people from basic needs including social, constitutional and economic rights. More specifically, the wretchedness of slum dwellers in housing, drinking water, sanitation, food intake, healthcare, education, employment, income patterns, social status and security, economic and public assistance has been explored in this paper. In addition, poverty scenario and services of social organization among slum people has been focused in this paper. Finally, it recommends some policies to improve the living conditions of slum dwellers in Bangladesh. Keywords: Slum Dwellers, Standard of Living, Basic Needs, Constitutional and Economic rights, Bangladesh JEL Classification Code: I31, I38, I13, I18, I25, E26, O18, O15, O17 INTRODUCTION Slum is a word, a name that reflects the distresses of deprived people who have to struggle with poverty to survive in this beautiful world. Slums and shanties are available in every country regardless developed or developing country. Usually, poor people migrated from village live in slumof urban areas. They choose the slum to livebecause they have no afforded. This paper is an effort to explore the social and economic sufferings of slum dwellers in Bangladesh and recommend some policy. Slum : Definition and Characteristics A slum can be defined as a cluster of housing units or a compact settlement with a minimum of 5-10 households or a mess unit with a minimum of 25 members and mostly very poor housing which grow unsystematically in government owned or private vacant land; very high population density and room crowding; very poor environmental services, especially water and sanitation; very low socio-economic status; lack of security of tenure (CUS, 2006). Basically, Slum houses are situated beside the main roads, highways, near the