By Azmal Hosen Mamun
Shahnaz is a 14 year old girl with a speech and hearing impairment who lives in the Gomonondi UP of Chittagong District. When she was very young, her mother took her to see a village doctor and then to a herbal doctor, but neither of them were able to remedy her situation. Sadly, Shahnaz’s father died when she was only one year old. She lives with her mother and two sisters.
Although it was a financial struggle for her family, Shahnaz was able to complete her schooling up until Class Seven. She enjoyed learning and wanted to continue on, but her interest was only met with resistance. She recalls one teacher suggesting there was no point in her getting an education because of her disability and that even if she were to finish school, she wouldn’t get a job anyway. As a result, her education was cut short.
With funding assistance from Cives Mundi, Spain, Bangladesh Protibandhi Kallyan Somity (BPKS) began implementing the Persons with Disabilities Self-Initiative to Development program in her area in 2008. Shahnaz found out about the program in the context of the baseline survey BPKS undertook in the area. At first, Shahnaz and her family were not optimistic about what BPKS might have to offer, as they had found that the NGOs they had been involved with in the past were not very supportive of people with disabilities. However, after her mother met with the facilitator at the Chittagong PSID Center, Shahnaz decided to become a member and quickly got involved in the training they had on offer. She commented, that after taking the training “my confidence grew and I started making mats with my mother. We sell them at the Chittagong market”. She has also taken on the important role of Finance Secretary of the local level Grassroots Disabled People’s Organization to Development.
Mintu Rani Tripura is a 14 year old girl who lives with her parents, two sisters and two brothers. Like Shahnaz, she also was not able to speak or hear from birth. Mintu and her family live in the hill tribe area of Khagrachari district. They are very poor and do not have access to electricity, a local school or market. Due to poor public transport services in the area, she was unable to attend school, which was some distance away. Like her parents, Mintu works as a day laborer, but earns only 6o Taka per day. When BPKS started the PSID program in her area, Mintu decided to become a member of the local level Grassroots Disabled People’s Organization to Development and started attending weekly meetings along with her mother. Like Shahnaz, Mintu also found her confidence grow. It was a big relief for her to meet other people with disabilities who also wanted to live active lives in their community. She also commented that the introduction of PSID had led to some positive changes in local people’s attitudes towards people with disabilities. She felt more respect from those around her. Mintu now plans to take out a loan to start up a small animal husbandry business so she can earn extra money to support her family.
Rima Tripura is another 15 year old girl with a hearing and speech disability, living in the Khagrachari Municipal area. Despite coming from an educated family, Rima did not get the same kind of education as her sister and two brothers. To gain the same benefit as her sister and brothers, Rima needed extra support, but this had not been available to her. When BPKS established PSID in her area, she also became a member of the local level organization and with their support, started studying in the local Primary school who is making efforts to accommodate her needs. Rima and her parents feel much happier as a result. Apart from learning more at school, Rima also enjoys drawing and has quite a talent.
According to a reliable source, there are about 1 lakh and 29 thousand hearing impaired women in Bangladesh. All too often, they are neglected and discriminated against within the family, by Government and society at large. Only 4% of girls with a speech or hearing impairment are receiving an education, with most of these coming from wealthy families. To better support the inclusion of students with speech and hearing impairments, more attention needs to be paid to ensuring teachers receive adequate training, that schools are provided with the appropriate resources and to boosting the use of sign language across the country, but within schools in particular. Without these measures being taken, girls with hearing and speech impairment will continue to have their right to a basic education, on an equal basis with others, denied. Furthermore, there are few opportunities for women with hearing and speech impairments to access Training and Rehabilitation Centers. Some NGOs are working to improve this situation, with positive results. Ultimately, however, it is the role of Government, as duty bearers under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities to ensure that these rights are upheld. This will also ensure that all people, including girls and women with hearing and speech impairments are able to be productive and contribute to the development of the country.
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