Shamsunnahar (56) is a living proof of how damsels in distress are not always rescued by a knight in shining armour. For nearly half of her life, Shamsunnahar has been working as a field staff member of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), where her primary work has been to rescue victims of human rights violation, and assist them in their follow-up activities concerning legal aid and shelter provision, and also take them to the police station and hospitals, regarding medical treatments. This assistance extends to bringing them to and fro from the court during their testimonies, examinations, witness statements, etc.

Life of a human rights defender is extremely dangerous. In the last 25 years, since she started working for the people under ASK, she has faced various life threatening hardships, mishaps, and dangerous situations.

She limps while she walks, but doesn’t quiver while she talks; she frequents hospitals, relies heavily on medicines, but that does not prevent her from doing what she wants to do.

And what she wants to do is to remain as a human rights defender.

In the backdrop, one Farzana, was a victim of physical and mental abuse by her husband; in line which she requested for the shelter provided by ASK. ASK had subsequently provided her with the shelter as on her demand and necessity.

However, her husband’s torment did not stop there. In order to bring her back and teach her a lesson, her husband filed a false suit in the Senior Judicial Magistrate Court of Magura for theft against Farzana. Based on that, on 07 March 2018, the Magura Police visited ASK and requested ASK to surrender her as a case was filed against her in Magura Court. Paying due respect to the Court, ASK sent Farzana with the police while being accompanied by Shamsunnahar. ASK reported and explained the background of the incident to the police in Magura for getting her bail, and with the help of the police, Farzana was successfully granted bail on 8 March 2018, after which Farzana along with Shamsunnahar started on their way back to Dhaka by bus.

It was at that point in time when things started getting out of hand. Farzana’s husband, along with several other miscreants, ambushed the bus, and stopped it in the middle of the road. The bus had many other passengers in it. They dragged both Shamsunnahar and Farzana out of the bus and beat Sahmsunnahar severely with no mercy. She was badly injured in this mishap.

Shamsunnahar was brought back to Dhaka and was admitted in the hospital for 3 days for treatment of her wounds, where ASK provided her with medical aid and assistance. This event was traumatising for her both psychologically and physically. Along with providing her with such support, the Litigation Unit of ASK has also filed a case against Farzana’s husband and the gang for the attack that she was subjected to.

“This was not the first time Shamsunnahar faced such an incident. Before joining ASK, she worked for garment workers, and she has been facing several obstacles with such dangerous situations since before then. She has dedicated her whole life to these women, to protect the ones who fall victim to various human rights violations. She tried her best to provide these women with the platform from where they will be able to get help and assistance. All I can say is that, Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK) is proud to have created such an active and dedicated human rights defender who willingly takes up the challenge every single day and continues to work in this sector, despite the obstacles.” Di.

As of date, Samsunnahar continues to work for ASK as a field staff worker.

With age, comes weakness; and alternatively, requires immense strength for field activity. After the incident, even though Samsunnahar’s reliance on medicines has increased, with frequent visits to the hospitals;, at the age of 56, she continues to have a strong and bold personality, with the spirit of never giving up and continues to work in such challenging situations.

The Litigation Unit, which operates under the strategy of Legal Aid and other Supported Services, is sponsored by the Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA).