Alam Promanik lives with his family of five in Malinagar village, Bogra district and Mihila Alam Mila is his second daughter. Her father was struggling to make ends meet and at the same time ensure with great difficulty that his children continued their education. Mila was 17 years old and preparing to sit for her S.S.C examination when she received a marriage proposal. Impoverished Alam did not want to miss an opportunity to settle his daughter’s life and so on the afternoon of 14th July 2006, young Mila was married to 26 year old Shahidul from the local village of Shikarpur.Mila’s father gave his new groom all the furniture that was needed for their home as a wedding present. But even before the year ended, Mila’s in-laws demanded dowry and began to harass her. But Mila’s father was too poor to fulfill the demands for dowry and as a result the girl’s harassment worsened day by day. Witnessing the dire state of his daughter, in an attempt to free her from these circumstances Mila’s father was forced to sell their milk cow and take out a loan. He managed TK 115,000 to quench the greed of Mila’s husband and in-laws. However, only a little time passed before her husband and his family again began to pressure Mila for dowry. This time Mila was determined to not take any more money from her father. During this Mila also became pregnant and in 2006 she gave birth to a baby boy. She had hoped that after seeing their grandson her in-laws

would not have the heart to demand dowry. This was not the case and the harassment progressively grew worse. Mila reached a point where she could no longer bear the harassment and left with her child to her father’s home. Her father having had enough of Shahidul’s cruel behavior decided to file a case under Women and Children Repression Prevention Act 2000.

Even though Shahidul was arrested because of the case, he was released on bail only a few days later. Now along with the demand for dowry, Shahidul was angry about the case filed against him and he continued to harass Mila. He threatened to take the life of both Mila and her child.

Thus Mila was forced to file for divorce from her husband. At this time Mila started a job as a maid at Ismaili hospital to support herself and her son. One night as she was returning home after her shift, Shahidul along with some others followed her and threw acid on Mila. It was the 9th of August 2010. The acid burned Mila’s shoulders, stomach and the lower part of her body severely. Hearing Mila’s scream of pain her neighbors rushed to her aid and together arranged to pour water on her burns. They urgently took her to Ismaili Hospital and then to Mohammad Ali Hospital. After receiving first aid treatment, Mila with the help of ASF’s local partners Lighthouse and Brac was brought to ASF hospital in Dhaka. At ASF, Mila went through almost one and half months of continuous treatment which included two operations.

When recalling the incident of the acid attack, Mila says that neither she nor her family had even hoped that she would be alive today. Even if had expected to live, she had imagined a life where she would have to live with severe disabilities and great despair and sadness. She thought she would live a life where she would have to depend on people’s kindness and sympathy. But all these anxieties have been proven wrong by ASF.

Through the treatment provided by ASF, Mila was slowly improving physically and also undergoing routine physiotherapy sessions to regain her functional ability. At the same time, ASF’s psychological and social unit arranged for 5 counseling and 2 psychotherapy sessions to help Mila overcome the trauma and reclaim her courage. On 17th September 2010, Mila left ASF to return home.

Immediately after the incident had occurred, Mila’s mother Fatema Begum with legal help from Brac began the proceedings under an acid crime tribunal Shahidul Haque along with his accomplices, Mila’s brother-in-law Shafikul Islam and sister-in-law’s husband Majedur Rahman were all named in the charges. After this tragedy befell Mila her father became ill and bedridden. Her father’s bedridden and disabled state along with the threats

that came from the perpetrators made it very difficult for Mila to remain in her house. At this stage, with the help of Lighthouse Mila was placed in Ain O Shalish Kendro’s shelter house in Dhaka. Light House also arranged quite a few talks and press conferences to lobby for the arrest of Shahidul. As a result, the police arrested the number one suspect of the crime Shahidul Haque on 26th August 2011.

However, the other two accomplices have yet to be arrested and at the moment the case is in proceedings. Almost nine months later when things returned to normal, Mila was able to go back home. But the costs of the case, the bedridden state of her sick father amongst other things had caused Mila’s family to fall into a state of economic despair. ASF with the help of Light House tried to ensure that Mila continued to act with strength and courage upon returning home. ASF and lighthouse arranged three community clinics to sensitize Mila’s community on the difficulties that acid victims may face when returning home and how the community can help the victims overcome these difficulties. Light House also made five house visits to follow up on Mila’s progress. In October 2011, ASF with the help of Light House provided Mila’s family with a milk cow worth TK 33,000 and through the local District, office got her a sewing machine. They also tried to return Mila to her previous job at the Islamia Hospital. But there was no longer an opportunity for Mila to continue working there and so they arranged a job for her as a receptionist at the Shaheen Eye Care Centre that earned her TK. 3,000 per month. Currently, selling cow’s milk along with Mila’s income has allowed her to take the lead of her family and also the responsibility of educating her younger brother. This is how Mila has proved that women do not solely object to marriage and the attainment of dowry. They too have the ability to take on society’s responsibilities. Mila wants to work for the rights of all those who are deprived and in despair as acid victims. Mila wants to rid her society of this heinous crime. She believes that if we all work together and everyone extends a helping hand with good faith, then all of our society’s acid victims will be able to raise their heads with pride. This is why this is not the end of Mila’s story but merely a glimpse into the bright future that lies ahead of her new journey.

Masuda Akter Moni’s story provides insight into a scenario that is very common in Bangladesh. A boy likes a girl, makes unwanted romantic advances, she refuses and he decides to punish her for exercising her right to say “no”. The girl’s life is completely shattered whereas the boy goes back to living his life and society turns a blind eye to the atrocity that he has committed. Moni was a student of class IX of Shamaj Kallyan Bidyabithi School and College in Rangpur. Moni was an extrovert by nature engaging in many extracurricular activities including art, dance, and music. When she was approached by a local youth who expressed his desire to marry her, Moni refused his marriage proposal. On August 13th, 2012, the youth along with three accomplices held Moni down in front of her house and poured acid on her face. Moni suffered severe burn injuries on her face, eyes, right hand, chest and backside. Moni was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital where she received treatment for her burns but both her eyes were severely damaged and her eyesight began to deteriorate. She was brought to ASF hospital where she received further treatment along with psychological assessment and counseling for the trauma. When Moni first came to ASF she seemed withdrawn and showed signs of depression and anxiety for which she received continuous counseling and therapy. At the ASF hospital she was also surrounded by women including a peer counselor and hospital support staff of whom some are survivors of acid violence themselves. This kind of support from women who have had similar experiences give victims like Moni courage and strength to recover from the tragedy and readjust to their new life. Unfortunately Moni suffered severe damage to both her eyes leading to further complications and compromising her vision. ASF referred her to Islamia Eye Hospital in Dhaka were she received four surgeries however due to the complicated nature of her injury she has yet to regain her vision. When a young girl’s right has been violated in such a horrific way it can be expected that the perpetrator will immediately be caught and punished, and for community members to fight for the victim’s right to justice. In Moni’s case while she was receiving treatment in Dhaka her perpetrator had not been caught and he and his family continued to live in the same community as Moni. Some of her community members blamed Moni for being too social because of her interest in the performing arts which they felt attracted male attention. ASF took steps to inform the Acid Monitoring Cell under the Home Ministry, District Commissioner and Police Superintendent of Rangpur to arrest the perpetrators and take proper legal action. Mr. Shawkat Mostafa, Joint Secretary (Ministry of Home Affairs) and President of Acid Monitoring Cell instructed concerned authority to oversee the action for proper investigation. ASF also referred Moni’s case to its legal partner Brac to provide legal support. ASF also intervened at the community level by mobilizing community members, government officials, local elites, and journalists through community meetings and school campaigns to motivate and encourage community members to take action against these forms of crimes. As a result, the community put pressure on the perpetrator and his family which eventually led to the accused to sell their land and leave the community. Seeing the perpetrators not being held accountable for the crime that they have committed also delays a victim’s recovery from the trauma. The mental pressure of fighting long legal battles serves as constant reminder of the traumatic incident and prevents the victim from living a normal life. Moni is determined to bring her perpetrators to justice and is prepared to face the challenges that come with it. After 2 years and 8 months Moni has got justice. On 22 April, 2015 Acid Aporadh Damon Tribunal, Rangpur sentenced to death penalty against one perpetrator and two other to life imprisonment for throwing acid to her. This is an exemplary punishment against perpetrators.

Kolpona Akter lives in Jalalpur village near Pabna headquarter. She lost the opportunity to have the affection of a father as her father left them right after her birth by marrying another woman. They could have had their own property i.e. cultivable land and homestead if her father wouldn’t sell those for his second marriage. Her father started a new conjugal life leaving Kolpona and her mother in a crisis, depriving them from everything. Traditionally her family has been involved in weaving and they used automated handloom for weaving. Kolpona dropped out of school after class five and had to join her mother in the weaving activities at home. 12 years old Kolpona was married off to one of her relatives, Shahidul, who also was a power-loom operator as well as a shopkeeper. Kolpona’s mothers took a loan of 26 thousand taka from a local NGO and provide 15 thousand taka to meet the dowry. Kolpona’s mother added another five thousand taka to his son in law that entire she wanted was a better life of Kolpona in their new conjugal life. Soon after the marriage Kolpona realized that Shahidul is an impotent. Still she agreed to go ahead with him. After 15 days of their marriage Kolpona wanted to visit her mother and Shahidul asked her to go alone and he would join later. But neither had he come to visit them nor he was intended to take her back to his home unless a big amount of money as a dowry is given to him. Kolpona tried several times to talk to him and his family. She, therefore, took the help of local leaders to negotiate. And she returned to her husband’s home. But, since then Shahidul started torturing Kolpona for an amount of two hundred thousand taka. Kolpona said straightway it is never possible for them. The physical and mental torture on Kolpona kept on and got harder day by day. Shahidul got furious on her gradually and one day, 25 December 2009, he attacked her with acid. His plan was to kill her by pouring acid into her mouth. She was admitted into ASF hospital with the assistance of Local BRAC office after 3 days of the attack. After a prolonged treatment more than two months from Acid Survivors Foundation Hospital she returned to her village and started living with her mother. During the treatment she get surgeries, received individual counseling, family counseling, group counseling, art therapy and music therapy from ASF. ASF provided income generating support to her with a sewing machine and 30 thousand taka. She also received a loan from the social welfare office. She is a hard worker and is committed to do productive work. She is no more a depended woman; rather she contributes to the family. Beside their traditional power-loom activities she opens a tailoring shop inside their home and earns a decent living. For her courageous surviving attitude and the entrepreneurship, she achieved the Joyeeta Award at divisional level provided by the Ministry of Women and Child Affairs.

Asma is from a remote village in Bangladesh. In her village, a maximum of girls drop out of school at the primary level. One of the reasons for the high dropout rate is because students have to walk a mile, cross a river and then walk another mile to attend the local high school. Asma was the only girl in her village who was attending high school. When Asma was in high school a local man used to stalk Asma after school and he expressed his desire to marry her. Asma and her family rejected the marriage proposal because they did not approve of the man after which he became furious. Asma’s father was not interested in marrying his daughter at such a young age and he had high aspirations for Asma to continue her education. Fearing for her safety Asma’s family temporary shifted her to her aunt’s house which was much closer to her school. After a few months Asma was unable to continue living at her aunt’s place due to a personal reason and she returned home. At this time Asma and her family thought that the man had lost interest in Asma and would leave her alone. But the perpetrator and his family continued to harass them and began to make threats saying “we’ll see how you continue your studies.”On August 18, 1999 at around four o’ clock in the morning, thirteen year-old Asma was sleeping in a room with her mother, brother, and three sisters. Asma’s father was at the mosque for the fajr (morning) prayer when the man who had been pursuing her sneaked into her house, shone a flashlight over her, and threw acid targeting her face. At that moment, Asma screamed, her family woke up, and the attacker attempted to exit through a side door. The door was locked and held shut with a heavy pot full of water, making his escape difficult. Asma’s brother chased him and caught him. The attacker argued with Asma’s brother, even denying that he was behind the attack when his hand showed signs of acid burn indicating that when he threw the acid some of the acid came in contact with his hand. Finally, the police came and arrested the perpetrator.

Asma suffered from severe burns that destroyed the left side of her face including her left eye. At that time, most people in her community were not aware of what to do immediately after an acid attack or how to treat the burns. Asma’s family did not pour water over her face, fearing that it might cause further damage even though Asma was crying out in pain asking for water to be poured on her face to reduce the burning sensation. Still unsure of what to do, Asma’s uncle brought a local doctor who put egg whites on Asma’s face to temporarily treat the wounds. Two hours later, Asma was taken to the local hospital by boat and was given medicine for pain relief.

She was then transferred to another district hospital, where she stayed for two weeks. It took her four hours to get there, and even there they were unfamiliar with the treatment required for acid burns.

While on the phone with someone, Asma’s father heard about the burn unit at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH). She was taken there and where she met the staff of ASF for the first time. ASF provided all the logistics for her treatment in DMCH. She first received her skin grafting after one month of her stay in DMCH. She was released from DMCH six days after surgery. Her wounds were not fully healed, but the hospital was unable to accommodate her because there were other patients waiting to be admitted. It took three hours by bus, six hours by motorboat, followed by another boat ride and a long walk before she made it home. Asma returned to DMCH after one week to get her eye checked and remained there for two months, however nothing could be done. Around this time, the Rehabilitation Unit at ASF was established. Asma was able to stay there while undergoing a few more surgeries at DMCH. With the support of ASF 7 acid survivors including Asma were taken to Spain for further treatment.

For Asma, the journey to recovery has been painstakingly difficult. Reflecting on the time following her return from Spain, Asma commented “I had no interest or desire to continue my studies because my hopes were completely shattered.”

Despite her continues struggles Asma able to refocus on her education and was determined to make a living for herself. After providing Asma with training on making pressure garment (a medical accessory which is required for the healing process of burn injuries) she was recruited by ASF. This brought some stability in her life and Asma started showing some interest to continue her education. ASF admitted her in a school and provided her with education support to pay for her school expenses including the cost of accommodation and food. Asma successfully passed her S.S.C and H.S.C examinations and was recruited as a peer educator. As a peer  educator she had to work with the professional counselor to provide psychosocial support to other acid victims. Asma is married and has a three year old daughter Of course, the suffering caused by the acid attack is a part of Asma’s life, and her present-day battles cannot be ignored. Recalling the past and details of the incident can be painful. When asked what changed most in her life following the acid attack, tears began rolling down Asma’s  face as she uttered, “there is no night when my pillow is not wet”.

Moreover, the effects of the acid attack are still apparent in her life outside of home. As is the case with many survivors of acid attack, Asma continues to seek justice through the grueling court process. Asma and her family filed a case against the perpetrator immediately after the incident. It took three years before he was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment without bail.

However, the perpetrator and his family brought the case to high court and are trying to appeal for a lesser punishment. They continue to threaten Asma and her family. “Since my perpetrator is suffering in prison, his whole family only has the goal of revenge…to put my father and brother in jail. And…if he‟s appealing, he might come back and we do not know what he is going to do. He is already indirectly threatening us, saying that he will do this and that when he comes back….that he‟ll kill my dad, he‟ll kill my brother. Even when I say „I‟m good, I‟m fine,‟ with all this in mind, my whole life has actually been turned upside down….the cruelty in my life started the day he threw acid on me.”

It is difficult for Asma and her family to put this traumatic incident behind them. It has been eleven years since the incident, and Asma and her family still must confront the perpetrator to keep him in jail. Asma asserted, “The justice system, what are they supposed to do? They can‟t do anything before the incident happens…whatever has been done is done. People say, „What‟s the point in giving him punishment now because what he‟s done is done?‟ But this is the only possible source of peace for us. He has at least been punished. This is my mental peace…that he‟s not any better off than me….”

And the battle with facing society still remain. Some people question if Asma could have helped prevent the attack. “Literate or illiterate societies, people mindlessly ask, „He asked you to marry him. Why didn‟t you just marry him?‟ But a person gets a lot of marriage proposals…you can‟t just marry all of them. If my dad married me off to my perpetrator, somebody else could have just as well thrown acid on me. Sometimes it hurts…people should think that I also have right to say no before they ask something.”

Though she had to face many obstacles but she says that her biggest strength that got her through the difficult time was her family “My daughter is very kind, she understands that something has happened to me, but she never asks about it. She does not make me feel bad. My own family of course does not question me about it, even my in-laws do not.” Asma also acknowledge ASF’s cooperation as a main driving force that supported her during the most crucial time of her life. “If ASF wasn‟t there then girls like me would have to face a lot of struggles. I think this is the place of peace which gives shelter to people like us.”

Her wounds were not fully healed, but the hospital was unable to accommodate her because there were other patients waiting to be admitted. It took three hours by bus, six hours by motorboat, followed by another boat ride and a long walk before she made it home.

Asma returned to DMCH after one week to get her eye checked and remained there for two months, however nothing could be done. Around this time, the Rehabilitation Unit at ASF was established. Asma was able to stay there while undergoing a few more surgeries at DMCH. With the support of ASF 7 acid survivors including Asma were taken to Spain for further treatment.

For Asma, the journey to recovery has been painstakingly difficult. Reflecting on the time following her return from Spain, Asma commented “I had no interest or desire to continue my studies because my hopes were completely shattered.”

Despite her continues struggles Asma able to refocus on her education and was determined to make a living for herself. After providing Asma with training on making pressure garment (a medical accessory which is required for the healing process of burn injuries) she was recruited by ASF. This brought some stability in her life and Asma started showing some interest to continue her education. ASF admitted her in a school and provided her with education support to pay for her school expenses including the cost of accommodation and food. Asma successfully passed her S.S.C and H.S.C examinations and was recruited as a peer educator. As a peer educator she had to work with the professional counselor to provide psychosocial support to other acid victims. Asma is married and has a three year old daughter

Of course, the suffering caused by the acid attack is a part of Asma’s life, and her present-day battles cannot be ignored. Recalling the past and details of the incident can be painful. When asked what changed most in her life following the acid attack, tears began rolling down Asma’s face as she uttered, “there is no night when my pillow is not wet”.

Moreover, the effects of the acid attack are still apparent in her life outside of home. As is the case with many survivors of acid attack, Asma continues to seek justice through the grueling court process. Asma and her family filed a case against the perpetrator immediately after the incident. It took three years before he was sentenced to lifetime imprisonment without bail. However, the perpetrator and his family brought the case to high court and are trying to appeal for a lesser punishment. They continue to threaten Asma and her family.

“Since my perpetrator is suffering in prison, his whole family only has the goal of revenge…to put my father and brother in jail. And…if he‟s appealing, he might come back and we do not know what he is going to do. He is already indirectly threatening us, saying that he will do this and that when he comes back….that he‟ll kill my dad, he‟ll kill my brother. Even when I say „I‟m good, I‟m fine,‟ with all this in mind, my whole life has actually been turned upside down….the cruelty in my life started the day he threw acid on me.”

It is difficult for Asma and her family to put this traumatic incident behind them. It has been eleven years since the incident, and Asma and her family still must confront the perpetrator to keep him in jail. Asma asserted, “The justice system, what are they supposed to do? They can‟t do anything before the incident happens…whatever has been done is done. People say, „What‟s the point in giving him punishment now because what he‟s done is done?‟ But this is the only possible source of peace for us. He has at least been punished. This is my mental peace…that he‟s not any better off than me….”

And the battle with facing society still remain. Some people question if Asma could have helped prevent the attack. “Literate or illiterate societies, people mindlessly ask, „He asked you to marry him. Why didn‟t you just marry him?‟ But a person gets a lot of marriage proposals…you can‟t just marry all of them. If my dad married me off to my perpetrator, somebody else could have just as well thrown acid on me. Sometimes it hurts…people should think that I also have right to say no before they ask something.”

Though she had to face many obstacles but she says that her biggest strength that got her through the difficult time was her family “My daughter is very kind, she understands that something has happened to me, but she never asks about it. She does not make me feel bad. My own family of course does not question me about it, even my in-laws do not.” Asma also acknowledge ASF’s cooperation as a main driving force that supported her during the most crucial time of her life. “If ASF wasn‟t there then girls like me would have to face a lot of struggles. I think this is the place of peace which gives shelter to people like us.”

Close your eyes for a minute and your mind will begin to flip through all the vibrant and colorful images engraved into your memory. Your mind will begin to race; yet will find no finish line. In due time, your restless mind will result in your eyes, wide open. For those of us with picture-perfect vision, we almost take for granted that our eyes will continue to serve as avoid into the way we perceive the world that revolves around us. However, do we ever, even just for a second, imagine ourselves as blind people? With flawless vision it is quite a challenge to slip into the shoes of a blind person. Angura Begum is one such individual, who was deceived to believe that she was living a healthy, happy married life. The odds are that she was completely naïve in regards to her husband, Mafiz Uddin’s newly developed affair with their neighbor Shahid Miah’s wife.

Satisfied with her two beautiful children Roni and Popi, she had grown an invariable and unquestioning trust towards her husband. However, on September 19, 2004, her life had taken on a different path than that which she had anticipated. As midnight struck, Uddin did not delay to undertake his malevolent plan. His inhumane nature had enabled him to shower his own wife with acid during her sleep, resulting not only in disfigurement of her appearance and a complete loss of vision but also in a deconstructive mental and physiological impact. Sleeping Angura, taken by surprise at this attack, was mendaciously informed by her husband that it was Miah, their next-door neighbor, who had committed this callous crime. At the dawn of the following day Angura was taken to the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF) through the support of BRAC Netrokona where she received continuous, free-of-cost treatment. Despite all efforts, the Angular’s vision could not be prevented from complete damage. Meanwhile, although at home in Netrokona, Uddin had filed a lawsuit against Miah, the truth of the matter had been disclosed shortly, while Angura domiciled in ASF. At the termination of her treatment, Angura, along with her children went back to her parental home to live with her mother Tarabanu and her brother. As a middle-class family, Angura’s presence with her children had become a financial burden for her brother. The accessibility of space in the house was minimal and therefore Angura was provided with a small room that was vulnerable even to the slightest downpour. Not only was the room shabby but also the kitchen and toilets were long distances away, and Angura could not access these places without assistance from others. With impaired vision and the duty of mothering two children, Angura’s life continued to encounter numerous obstacles.

At this time of dire need of help, ASF once again reached out a helping hand by assisting Angura to sustain her family’s fundamental needs through their Family Assistance Support Program. On December 5, 2005 ASF had leased a 40 decimal land worth of BDT 22,000 for Angura that currently produces 1600 kg of corps for her family, appeasing their nutritious needs. At the birth of ASF’s vision of building Angura her own house, her brothers were dismissive of the idea. However, they eventually began to comprehend the benefits and consequently registered 720 square feet of land from their own family property under the name of Angura. With financial endowment of BDT 190, 000 from ASF and a further BDT 50, 000 from her family members, the development organizations have built a 2-bedroom house for Angura and her family.

The inauguration ceremony of Angura’s house was hosted on May 14, 2014. The mere presence of highly reputed individuals including the local police superintendents, deputy director of the Department of Social Welfare, chairperson of ASF, representative of the Department of Women’s Affairs, to name a few, as well as family, friends, and neighbors of Angura had made the event delightful for her. Primarily divided into two sections the event had a discussion followed by a prayer session. Since this date, Angura and her children are living in the house, through the support of organizations, as well as her family and neighbors. Angura is presently receiving additional aid for her children’s education from the Department of Women’s Affairs and ASF is also attempting to attain government subsidies through enrollment of her children into government-based schools and colleges.

With the unconditional support, Angura has received from her surrounding it is reasonable to question the current situation of Mafiz Uddin. Although most attackers are not held accountable as if innocent of guile, Uddin’s case was different. Only a couple of months after the lawsuit was filled against him, he passed away. Dying of a heart attack, putting an end to the case as a whole. While Angura has a roof above her head, clothes on her back and food to feed her children, and no longer dwells on her past, her disabilities still remain a barrier to a sustainable source of income. Living with her aunt and children, Angura and her family, not swindled of their fundamental needs, now wishes to take one step further up the Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, seeking security and comfort within the four walls of their own home. When the scorching mid-day sun, shines down or when her children wish to study late at night, the one thing Angura wishes for most is electricity.