Rangpur Correspondent: Dhaka, Sept-24,
Burn survivor women
with disabilities have sought special assistance and need-based care for their
treatments and development to bring an end to their indescribable miseries
through mainstreaming in the society.
They viewed this at the
concluding function of a two-day 'Gender and Disability Awareness Training
Course' arranged with the theme of building leadership involving disabled women
during the Covid-19 pandemic at community levels yesterday.
Voice and Views, a
national NGO working for promoting human rights of disabled women, especially
burn survivors, organised the event with financial assistance of international
donor organisation Women Fund Asia.
The event was held at
the office of Jagorn Protibondhi Nari O Shishu Unnayan Sangstha (JPNSUS), a
local NGO, in village Deuti under Pirgachha upazila of Rangpur district.
Since the outbreak of
the Covid-19 pandemic, Voice and Views also continues providing food assistance
and health safety materials to burn survivor women with disabilities in
Rangpur, Narsingdi and Kushtia districts.
Adviser of JPNSUS Nur
Alam presided over the concluding function participated by 22 burn survivor
women with disabilities of Parul union in Pirgachha upazila.
President of JPNSUS
Khadija Parveen and Senior Reporter of Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha Md Mamun
Islam conducted different sessions of the training course as resource persons.
After participating in
group discussions and different sessions of the event for the first time in
their life, the burn survivor disabled women discussed their sufferings saying
that they even forgot their legitimate rights and meaning of life.
While expressing her
painful life story, Abeda Khatun, 32, of village Aviram in Parul union said her
body was burnt and became physically disabled long ago and could not avail medical
services due to poverty.
"I cannot walk as
bleeding continues all the time from both of my infected legs --- I have no
ability to avail treatments- I am suffering from other diseases too," said
a homeless Abeda, who lives in her mother-in-law's tiny house.
Like many others,
Peyari Begum, 38, of village Arazi Chalunia said she was a minor girl when she
was suddenly burnt and her legs became the worst affected.
She was later married
at a premature age. She has a son and her day-labourer husband cannot work due
to illness for many years.
An eighth grade student
Khadija Akhter Lucky, 14, of village Sharif Sundor said most parts of her body
were burnt six years ago.
"Despite acute
poverty in my family, I am hardly continuing studies. I need special assistance
for my treatment and education and remaining safe from child marriage,"
Lucky said.
The participating burn
survivor women expressed their deep gratitude to Voice and Views for bringing
them under its various assistance programmes to establish their human rights in
the society.
Talking to BSS, Founder
and Executive Director of Voice and Views Jannatul Ferdous, a 60 percent burn
survivor, said the meaning of Voice and Views is 'To raise our voice for
creating positive views of the society' on the way to attain the SDGs by 2030.
"We are working
since 2014 to raise human rights issues of burn survivor women and other women
with disabilities for their development and empowerment to contribute to the
government's efforts of building a developed Bangladesh by 2041," she
added.
End/Dct/Corr/Sma/
