It is claimed that nearly 200,000 -- 400,000 women and girls were systematically raped and tortured by the Pakistani Army as a war strategy in the Bangladesh Liberation War in 1971. In 2010, I filmed 21 of these Birangona women's first-hand accounts at a centre near Dhaka. Birangona means 'Brave Woman'. After the interview one woman said, '' what's the point of telling these stories? Nothing happens.' And it is true nothing has happened because no one wants to tell their stories. Post-war Bangladeshi society and successive governments haven't been able to figure out what to do with them. Although the first leader of Bangladesh tried to rehabilitate these women by giving them the name 'Birangona' as a mark of respect and recognition, society rejected them anyway and denied their existence. They were forgotten and so were their stories. The stigma of rape and collective shame was so huge that in a socially conservative society these women could not disclose the attacks they had suffered and if they tried they were treated with contempt by their own people. These Birangona women are the symbols of brutality against women in any war situation or in any society. Humanity tends to forget or fail to give them their due. Their personal stories, dignity and bravery in the face of extreme sacrifice deserve to be heard.
When you say “It’s hard”, it actually means “I’m not enough fit to fight for it”. People who fit don’t seek. The seekers are those that don’t fit. Stop saying its hard. Think positive!
Camera Model -Canon EOS Kiss X3
Taken Date-15 April,2018
ISO Speed-100
Expo-user time 1/500 sec
f-stop f/2.8
Dimension-4752x3128