Recognizing the women in the fight for freedom

Our liberation as a nation would not have been possible without countless sacrifice and bloodshed. We must, with each passing year, uphold the memory of those who gave their lives in the Liberation War, and make sure the history of 1971 is correct and complete. The story of the sacrifice of these selfless martyrs, after all, is the story of Bangladesh.

The Liberation War Affairs Ministry has taken an admirable step by issuing a gazette notification recognizing 61 women as freedom fighters. As with almost every other field, many women in our liberation struggle have been erased from history. 

It is time to right these wrongs and know who they are: In the list of 61 female freedom fighters, 15 are from Patuakhali, 13 are from Sylhet, 12 are from Natore, and there are two each from Thakurgaon, Barguna, Kushtia, and Gopalganj.

No doubt, this list remains incomplete, and there is work yet to be done, but each little step matters in this project of documenting history and setting the record straight.

https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Bayern-v-Mon-bmg-01.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Bayern-v-Mon-bmg-02.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Bayern-v-Mon-bmg-03.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Bayern-v-Mon-bmg-04.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Bayern-v-Mon-bmg-05.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Mad-v-Mil-rpp-tv-01.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Mad-v-Mil-rpp-tv-02.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Mad-v-Mil-rpp-tv-03.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Mad-v-Mil-rpp-tv-04.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Mad-v-Mil-rpp-tv-05.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Milano-v-Madrid-sky8-tv-01.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Milano-v-Madrid-sky8-tv-02.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Milano-v-Madrid-sky8-tv-03.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Milano-v-Madrid-sky8-tv-04.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Milano-v-Madrid-sky8-tv-05.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Liv-v-Ast-bbc-uk-01.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Liv-v-Ast-bbc-uk-02.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Liv-v-Ast-bbc-uk-03.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Liv-v-Ast-bbc-uk-04.html
https://ngo-sc.org/sof/video-Liv-v-Ast-bbc-uk-05.html

Forty-nine years after our victory against the oppressive forces of Pakistan and their local collaborators, the sad fact remains that we have remained unable to do right by many of the brave freedom fighters who actually fought for this freedom. This is doubly true of the women. Many Birangonas have died in the years since the war of illness and neglect. Others, still surviving, are living in extreme poverty.

As rape was a frequently deployed tool of war against Bangladesh, the women of this nation have suffered unspeakable horrors that cannot be quantified. We can, however, make it a point to always uphold this often-overlooked aspect of the war, and give the right treatment to all women who survived the war, and refused to give in.

Our liberation as a nation would not have been possible without countless sacrifice and bloodshed. We must, with each passing year, uphold the memory of those who gave their lives in the Liberation War, and make sure the history of 1971 is correct and complete. The story of the sacrifice of these selfless martyrs, after all, is the story of Bangladesh.

The Liberation War Affairs Ministry has taken an admirable step by issuing a gazette notification recognizing 61 women as freedom fighters. As with almost every other field, many women in our liberation struggle have been erased from history. 

It is time to right these wrongs and know who they are: In the list of 61 female freedom fighters, 15 are from Patuakhali, 13 are from Sylhet, 12 are from Natore, and there are two each from Thakurgaon, Barguna, Kushtia, and Gopalganj.

No doubt, this list remains incomplete, and there is work yet to be done, but each little step matters in this project of documenting history and setting the record straight.

Forty-nine years after our victory against the oppressive forces of Pakistan and their local collaborators, the sad fact remains that we have remained unable to do right by many of the brave freedom fighters who actually fought for this freedom. This is doubly true of the women. Many Birangonas have died in the years since the war of illness and neglect. Others, still surviving, are living in extreme poverty.

As rape was a frequently deployed tool of war against Bangladesh, the women of this nation have suffered unspeakable horrors that cannot be quantified. We can, however, make it a point to always uphold this often-overlooked aspect of the war, and give the right treatment to all women who survived the war, and refused to give in.   

Our liberation as a nation would not have been possible without countless sacrifice and bloodshed. We must, with each passing year, uphold the memory of those who gave their lives in the Liberation War, and make sure the history of 1971 is correct and complete. The story of the sacrifice of these selfless martyrs, after all, is the story of Bangladesh.

The Liberation War Affairs Ministry has taken an admirable step by issuing a gazette notification recognizing 61 women as freedom fighters. As with almost every other field, many women in our liberation struggle have been erased from history. 

It is time to right these wrongs and know who they are: In the list of 61 female freedom fighters, 15 are from Patuakhali, 13 are from Sylhet, 12 are from Natore, and there are two each from Thakurgaon, Barguna, Kushtia, and Gopalganj.

No doubt, this list remains incomplete, and there is work yet to be done, but each little step matters in this project of documenting history and setting the record straight.

Forty-nine years after our victory against the oppressive forces of Pakistan and their local collaborators, the sad fact remains that we have remained unable to do right by many of the brave freedom fighters who actually fought for this freedom. This is doubly true of the women. Many Birangonas have died in the years since the war of illness and neglect. Others, still surviving, are living in extreme poverty.

As rape was a frequently deployed tool of war against Bangladesh, the women of this nation have suffered unspeakable horrors that cannot be quantified. We can, however, make it a point to always uphold this often-overlooked aspect of the war, and give the right treatment to all women who survived the war, and refused to give in.