Birangona

Birangona (Bengali: war heroine) was the title awarded by the Government of Bangladesh to women raped in the Bangladesh Liberation war.[1][2]

History

On 16 December 1971 Bangladesh won its independence from Pakistan through the Bangladesh Liberation war. There was mass rape during the Bangladesh Liberation war with an estimated 200,000-400,000 women were raped by Pakistan Army and their collaborators.[3][4] On 22 December 1971 the Government of Bangladesh declared women who had been raped Birangona or war-heroine.[5] President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman asked Bangladesh to "give due honor and dignity to the women oppressed by the Pakistani army" and called them his daughters.[6][7] Yet many of them committed suicide, a section of them left the country to work as servants abroad, and a great many were killed in the hands of the unskilled mid-wives during abortion. This prompted the government to set up 'seba sadans' to give them clinical support. Kendrio Mohila Punorbashon Songstha was established in January 1972 to rehabilitate these violated women with the technical and humanitarian support from International Planned Parenthood, the International Abortion Research and Training Centre, and the Catholic Church.[8] Later, the government provided them with vocational training and launched a campaign to get them married. Which led to accusations that Bangladesh was trying to hide the Birongonas.[9] The Birangonas have often been ostracised by society and their family members.[10]

Women Rights activists have called for the Birangona to be declared Freedom Fighters (Mukti Bahini).[11][12] Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association and Mitali Hossain filled a petition with Bangladesh High Court to upgrade the status of Birangona. On 27 January 2014, the High Court asked the government of Bangladesh why it should not be directed to do so.[13] On January 2015 the parliament of Bangladesh approved a proposal to upgrade the status of Birangona to freedom fighter status. On 23 October 2015 Bangladesh government for the first time declared 43 Birangona, Freedom Fighters. Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said that now they would enjoy the same government benefits as Freedom Fighters.[14]

Artistic depictions

References

  1. ↑ "The Birangona beyond her wound". The Daily Star. 2016-12-16. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  2. ↑ "Rethinking the Birangona | Dhaka Tribune". Dhaka Tribune. 2016-11-11. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  3. ↑ "Birangona: Will the World Listen?". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  4. ↑ ""The war is not over yet"". The Daily Star. 2017-03-25. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  5. ↑ "HISTORY AND THE BIRANGONA". The Daily Star. 2017-03-24. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  6. ↑ "Forum". archive.thedailystar.net. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  7. ↑ Huynh, Kim; D'Costa, Bina; Lee-Koo, Katrina (2015-04-09). Children and Global Conflict. Cambridge University Press. p. 277. ISBN 9781107038844.
  8. ↑ Milon, A. Z. M. M. M. (2012). The Crime Never Considered a Crime.http://archive.thedailystar.net/forum/2012/March/land.htm
  9. ↑ "Healing the Hidden Wounds of War". The Daily Star. 2014-12-05. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  10. ↑ "Shedding the Cloak of Invisibility". The Daily Star. 2014-02-07. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  11. ↑ "Say freedom fighter, not 'Birangona'". The Daily Star. 2012-12-08. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  12. ↑ "War heroine Rahela still at war with life". The Daily Star. 2014-01-22. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  13. ↑ "HC for Birangona's social status". The Daily Star. 2014-01-27. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  14. ↑ "41 Birangonas get Freedom Fighter status | Dhaka Tribune". archive.dhakatribune.com. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  15. ↑ Anam, Tahmima (2014-04-15). "Bangladesh's Birangona women: 'Tell the world our story'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  16. ↑ Mail, Birmingham (2014-04-30). "Harrowing war story at The Drum in Aston". birminghammail. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  17. ↑ "As a War Heroine, I Speak". The Daily Star. 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  18. ↑ "The Burden of Dis/honour". The Daily Star. 2016-03-26. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
  19. ↑ Farmer, Jonathan (2014-08-06). "The Book of Injustice". Slate. ISSN 1091-2339. Retrieved 2017-04-21.
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