Lavli Akhter
Rokhsana, who was a worker of New Wave Style Ltd, an RMG factory on the seventh floor of the building, lost her right leg in the incident.
She was treated at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor) in Dhaka for a month.
“You have no idea how caring he was when I was in the hospital,” Rokhsana said. “I was lucky to receive a lot of monetary help at that time, and he handled all of it.”
She said she received around Tk27 lakh in compensation – including the prime minister’s savings certificate worth Tk10 lakh and Tk8 lakh in donation from different people and organisations.”
“After I was released from hospital, my husband’s attitude changed overnight. He became distant,” Rokhsana told this reporter, her eyes wet. “He told me: ‘You are disabled. I feel embarrassed to be seen with you in public.’”
The verbal abuse – and sometimes physical – went on for a while.
A year after the incident, Tofazzal sent his wife of three years to her village home, while she was four months pregnant with their daughter, and severed all contacts.
“A lot of good souls helped me out with money, but my husband kept most of it.”
Even when their daughter was born, Tofazzal did not visit Rokhsana in her village, nor did he show any affection for his child, she said.
Tragedy hit Rokhsana once more when her seven-month-old daughter passed away after suffering from pneumonia for three days.
When she contacted Tofazzal, he said: “It is better this way. A disabled person like you would not have been able to raise her properly.”
Three days later, he sent her a divorce notice.
“I just wish my daughter was still here,” said Rokhsana, crying. “I wish I could see her smiling face.”
Despite the heart-break she suffered, Rokhsana has started working again to get back on her feet.
The 25-year-old has set up a loom at her village home in Chapainawabganj using Tk90,000 compensation from Brac.
“I am thankful to the government and Brac for their help,” she said.
Rikta Akhter, mother of two children, was left by her husband Morsalin eight months ago and now lives with her parents in Gaibandha.
“I received Tk20 lakh in compensation as I lost my right hand in the incident,” said Rikta, who was a senior operator at Phantom Apparels Ltd on the fourth floor of Rana Plaza.
Rikta and her husband, a driver, had become quite well-known as they were interviewed by different media outlets at the time.
“I could not believe it when my husband, who was so caring, suddenly became abusive,” she said.
The reason: he wanted her money.
“He took half of the money and left us. I heard he got married,” she said. “Now I only have the interest generated from the prime minister’s savings certificate of Tk12 lakh I received to get by. I do not know how I am going to pay for my children’s education,” she said.
The betrayal that Lavli Akhter suffered was slightly different.
Lavli worked on the seventh floor of Rana Plaza, while her mother worked on the eighth floor.
“Both of us were lucky to survive the horrible collapse, but only my mother was lucky in marriage,” she said. “My father did not leave her and took care of her until she got better.”
Unlike Rokhsana and Rikta, Lavli did not suffer any amputation, but recovering from such an ordeal was a long process.
Then she met Atiqur, a mason by profession.
“Atiqur convinced my parents and me that he loved me and would take care of me for the rest of my life.”
They got married in 2014. “As soon as we got married, he got more interested in my compensation than in me. I gave all of it to him, yet he suspected that I was hiding more money. He never cared about the pain I had or my mental condition – all he cared about was money.”
Once Atiqur realised that Lavli had no more money left, he left her. Their son had been born by then.
“He married again,” Lavli said.
Lavli is working in another RMG factory in Savar. Her son lives with her parents in Gaibandha. “All I want now is to take care of my son and give him a good future,” she said.For Rokhsana Akhter, the trauma of having survived the Rana Plaza collapse became bearable when she found her loving husband constantly by her side.
Tofazzal Hossain, a day labourer by profession, cared for Rokhsana when she was recovering in the hospital, tending to her needs day and night.
“Having returned from the brink of death, I thought I would be all right because I had such a loving, caring husband with me,” said Rokhsana.
But soon she realised that she mistook greed for love.
“My husband’s care stemmed from the fact that I was going to get a lot of money in compensation, not his love for me.”
Several Rana Plaza survivors have experienced the same betrayal as Rokhsana; the true face of their husbands or loved ones came out after the compensation money stopped coming.
Rana Plaza survivors – especially those who suffered amputation – received compensation and donations from the government as well as different individual donors and organisations.
The compensation – a handsome amount of money – was aimed at giving a head start to the survivors for putting their lives back on track with the help of their families.
Instead, some women were not only abandoned by their husbands when they needed them the most, but were also cheated – in some cases, forced – out of their money by them.
“You might have seen men frantically looking for their RMG worker wives in the debris of Rana Plaza four years ago,” said Kazi Monir Hossain, coordinator of Shongkolon Bangladesh, a foundation working on the rehabilitation of Rana Plaza survivors.
“Some of these men, seemingly worried about their wives’ well-being, were quick to realise that their wives were going to get a fat sum of money for compensation. So they played the role of a concerned husband and practically stole these women’s money – their means to get back on their feet – from them.”
Rana Plaza, an eight-storey building in Savar, Dhaka that housed five RMG factories – collapsed on the morning of April 24, 2013. The accident – the worst industrial disaster in the history of Bangladesh – killed 1,135 people and injured more than 2,500 others, most of whom were RMG workers.
According to Shongkolon Bangladesh, 98 of the survivors suffered amputation, 75 of whom were women.
Lavli Akhter
Rokhsana, who was a worker of New Wave Style Ltd, an RMG factory on the seventh floor of the building, lost her right leg in the incident.
She was treated at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor) in Dhaka for a month.
“You have no idea how caring he was when I was in the hospital,” Rokhsana said. “I was lucky to receive a lot of monetary help at that time, and he handled all of it.”
She said she received around Tk27 lakh in compensation – including the prime minister’s savings certificate worth Tk10 lakh and Tk8 lakh in donation from different people and organisations.”
“After I was released from hospital, my husband’s attitude changed overnight. He became distant,” Rokhsana told this reporter, her eyes wet. “He told me: ‘You are disabled. I feel embarrassed to be seen with you in public.’”
The verbal abuse – and sometimes physical – went on for a while.
A year after the incident, Tofazzal sent his wife of three years to her village home, while she was four months pregnant with their daughter, and severed all contacts.
“A lot of good souls helped me out with money, but my husband kept most of it.”
Even when their daughter was born, Tofazzal did not visit Rokhsana in her village, nor did he show any affection for his child, she said.
Tragedy hit Rokhsana once more when her seven-month-old daughter passed away after suffering from pneumonia for three days.
When she contacted Tofazzal, he said: “It is better this way. A disabled person like you would not have been able to raise her properly.”
Three days later, he sent her a divorce notice.
“I just wish my daughter was still here,” said Rokhsana, crying. “I wish I could see her smiling face.”
Despite the heart-break she suffered, Rokhsana has started working again to get back on her feet.
The 25-year-old has set up a loom at her village home in Chapainawabganj using Tk90,000 compensation from Brac.
“I am thankful to the government and Brac for their help,” she said.
Rikta Akhter, mother of two children, was left by her husband Morsalin eight months ago and now lives with her parents in Gaibandha.
“I received Tk20 lakh in compensation as I lost my right hand in the incident,” said Rikta, who was a senior operator at Phantom Apparels Ltd on the fourth floor of Rana Plaza.
Rikta and her husband, a driver, had become quite well-known as they were interviewed by different media outlets at the time.
“I could not believe it when my husband, who was so caring, suddenly became abusive,” she said.
The reason: he wanted her money.
“He took half of the money and left us. I heard he got married,” she said. “Now I only have the interest generated from the prime minister’s savings certificate of Tk12 lakh I received to get by. I do not know how I am going to pay for my children’s education,” she said.
The betrayal that Lavli Akhter suffered was slightly different.
Lavli worked on the seventh floor of Rana Plaza, while her mother worked on the eighth floor.
“Both of us were lucky to survive the horrible collapse, but only my mother was lucky in marriage,” she said. “My father did not leave her and took care of her until she got better.”
Unlike Rokhsana and Rikta, Lavli did not suffer any amputation, but recovering from such an ordeal was a long process.
Then she met Atiqur, a mason by profession.
“Atiqur convinced my parents and me that he loved me and would take care of me for the rest of my life.”
They got married in 2014. “As soon as we got married, he got more interested in my compensation than in me. I gave all of it to him, yet he suspected that I was hiding more money. He never cared about the pain I had or my mental condition – all he cared about was money.”
Once Atiqur realised that Lavli had no more money left, he left her. Their son had been born by then.
“He married again,” Lavli said.
Lavli is working in another RMG factory in Savar. Her son lives with her parents in Gaibandha. “All I want now is to take care of my son and give him a good future,” she said.
Lavli Akhter
Rokhsana, who was a worker of New Wave Style Ltd, an RMG factory on the seventh floor of the building, lost her right leg in the incident.
She was treated at the National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation (Nitor) in Dhaka for a month.
“You have no idea how caring he was when I was in the hospital,” Rokhsana said. “I was lucky to receive a lot of monetary help at that time, and he handled all of it.”
She said she received around Tk27 lakh in compensation – including the prime minister’s savings certificate worth Tk10 lakh and Tk8 lakh in donation from different people and organisations.”
“After I was released from hospital, my husband’s attitude changed overnight. He became distant,” Rokhsana told this reporter, her eyes wet. “He told me: ‘You are disabled. I feel embarrassed to be seen with you in public.’”
The verbal abuse – and sometimes physical – went on for a while.
A year after the incident, Tofazzal sent his wife of three years to her village home, while she was four months pregnant with their daughter, and severed all contacts.
“A lot of good souls helped me out with money, but my husband kept most of it.”
Even when their daughter was born, Tofazzal did not visit Rokhsana in her village, nor did he show any affection for his child, she said.
Tragedy hit Rokhsana once more when her seven-month-old daughter passed away after suffering from pneumonia for three days.
When she contacted Tofazzal, he said: “It is better this way. A disabled person like you would not have been able to raise her properly.”
Three days later, he sent her a divorce notice.
“I just wish my daughter was still here,” said Rokhsana, crying. “I wish I could see her smiling face.”
Despite the heart-break she suffered, Rokhsana has started working again to get back on her feet.
The 25-year-old has set up a loom at her village home in Chapainawabganj using Tk90,000 compensation from Brac.
“I am thankful to the government and Brac for their help,” she said.
Rikta Akhter, mother of two children, was left by her husband Morsalin eight months ago and now lives with her parents in Gaibandha.
“I received Tk20 lakh in compensation as I lost my right hand in the incident,” said Rikta, who was a senior operator at Phantom Apparels Ltd on the fourth floor of Rana Plaza.
Rikta and her husband, a driver, had become quite well-known as they were interviewed by different media outlets at the time.
“I could not believe it when my husband, who was so caring, suddenly became abusive,” she said.
The reason: he wanted her money.
“He took half of the money and left us. I heard he got married,” she said. “Now I only have the interest generated from the prime minister’s savings certificate of Tk12 lakh I received to get by. I do not know how I am going to pay for my children’s education,” she said.
The betrayal that Lavli Akhter suffered was slightly different.
Lavli worked on the seventh floor of Rana Plaza, while her mother worked on the eighth floor.
“Both of us were lucky to survive the horrible collapse, but only my mother was lucky in marriage,” she said. “My father did not leave her and took care of her until she got better.”
Unlike Rokhsana and Rikta, Lavli did not suffer any amputation, but recovering from such an ordeal was a long process.
Then she met Atiqur, a mason by profession.
“Atiqur convinced my parents and me that he loved me and would take care of me for the rest of my life.”
They got married in 2014. “As soon as we got married, he got more interested in my compensation than in me. I gave all of it to him, yet he suspected that I was hiding more money. He never cared about the pain I had or my mental condition – all he cared about was money.”
Once Atiqur realised that Lavli had no more money left, he left her. Their son had been born by then.
“He married again,” Lavli said.
Lavli is working in another RMG factory in Savar. Her son lives with her parents in Gaibandha. “All I want now is to take care of my son and give him a good future,” she said.