I have lost my sight but I have gained my vision, Rumana Manzur expressed her confidence with smiley face, brave open eyes and the blind stick in hand to call for unity against violence on women worldwide in a Vancouver speech in Canada.
The stick, which might help her recognise the streets, house, the reading table and reach her beloved daughter Anushe, while Rumana was outlining latest statistics of violence on women throughout the world, the stick also echoed with colour of strength – black grip, white middle and red knocking end at the stage of a TED conference in Vancouver of Canada on May 23.
The speech was published in TEDx YouTube channel in a title ‘Yes, we can reduce violence against women’ on June 18.
Rumana Monzur, an Assistant Professor at the Department of International Relations of Dhaka University, is now studying law after completing MS in political science at the University of British Columbia on a Commonwealth scholarship in September 2010. She was blinded by her husband Hasan Sayeed Sumon in a brutal attack during a trip back 2011 to see her daughter in Dhaka.
She survived and gained light despite her darkness and announced and struggling for a global fight to reduce violence against women.
She came up with the statistics as 43% women face violence, 21% in North America, in Europe and Central Asia it is 29%, Latin America and Carrabia 33%, Africa and the Middle East 40%. Most of the violence occurred by intimate partners and most of the cases are unreported, Rumana highlighted.
“I was never thought even such violence could happen with me but the incident took my sight away but I achieved a third eye as it showed the women are all same in the male dominated evil society,” she said.
“I decided that I would not let anyone harm my life also to take control of my life, told myself ‘happiness and sorrow’ they are just chemicals playing with your brain and I want to be the chemist who would control those chemicals,” she said in a lethal vocal.
Rumana Manzur tried to inspire the lights of change saying: “Why did I survive that day, why did not I die and why am I still living?”
She continued the only answer was came to me was maybe there is a reason, maybe I need to be a voice for hundreds of millions of female sufferings from silence, who does have not access to any power and privileges. The realisation made me stronger, gave me a purpose also my duty as a mother did not let me back and locked myself in a corner.
Even now, each day I face many challenges but my motivation overcome those challenges and my desire to lead a meaningful life, Rumana said confidently.
I envision, a world which is ‘Free of violence against women’, I know we all do. But how can we do that?, she asked.
Rumana opined the ways:
Firstly, we must raise bareness against violence of women, we must hate it the way we all hate child prostitution, child pornography and human trafficking only then we be able to take action.
Secondly, we must believe in our power and strength that believes will give us the confidence to bring change. The confidence which is needed to challenge the existence structure that allows for systematic violence.
Thirdly, we must intervene and fight for the victims as Edmund Burke says: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing,” I would replace the word good men to good people.
I have lost my sight but I have gained my vision my third eye become more powerful and strong but I have endured since June 2011 has prepared me for this journey, said the victim.
Rumana firmly said she is on fight this global, social evil of violence against women.
“I am determined to play my part because I know I can make the difference. I know you can make a difference and most of all if we all try together the social evil can be defeated. Will you join me?”
Rumana Manzur concluded her straight talks in the stage, she was laughing little loud then and knocked the colorful cane again at the stage, in search of light to see her beloved keen Anushe among all daughters of the world.
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