Rokeya Sadan

The Rehabilitation Center of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad

INTRODUCTION

Since 1970 Bangladesh Mahila Parishad (BMP) working as a multidimensional action oriented voluntary mass women’s organization from a non political stance to establish women human right. Violence is the most overt abuse to women’s human right and major concern of women’s movement in a way to attaining the goal of women’s emancipation. BMP launched its program to resist violence against women which includes resistance movement, mobilization of public opinion, extending legal aid and other necessary support to the victim.

Rokeya Sadan

BACKGROUND

The idea of this rehabilitation center came out from the experience of the course of movement of VAW. Ensuring safe shelter to victims appeared as a prerequisite to offer proper legal service. At the beginning members of the organization tried to manage shelter for the victims within their family set up. Consequently it become obvious that proper and absolute security could not be ascertained within the family atmosphere. Separate and exclusive space for the purpose is required. The inspiration and initiative of late Poet Begum Sufia Kamal, the former president of BMP is equally memorable in this respect. She was personally and immensely enthusiastic about a proper home as a transient shelter for victim.

She named the home in memory of pioneer of women movement in the subcontinent as Rokeya Sadan.

Rokeya Sadan started its journey in a rented house of  Kalabagan on 31 December of 1985 present it is situated in the Segun bagicha the same building of BMP’s office.

TO WHOM SADAN PROVIDES SHELTER

Rokeya Sadan provides shelter to those oppressed women, who are victims of different difficult situations like domestic violence, physical assault for Dowry, Abandoned, Divorced, Forced Prostitution, Rape, Fatwa, Cheating, Trafficking Acid burns and other violence’s.

At the beginning BMP received those girls usually through central and local legal aid cells of the organization. But gradually other Law enforcing agent’s like police station, safe custody of court and others organizations started to send their cases.

At present NGO,s like- Ain-O-Shalish Kendra (ASK), Bangladesh Nair Progoti Sangha (BNPS), Bangladesh Legal Aid Service Trust (BLAST), Bangladesh National Women’s Lawyers Association (BNWLA), Business Professional Women’s Club (BPWC), Jatio Mahila Sagstha other socio-cultural and civil society organizations referred the victims for safe shelter in BMP is also working together with One Crisis Center (OCC), victim support center and others and receiving their cases.

Till today BMP provides temporary shelter to take more than 1200 women and girl children.

ACTIVITIES OF ROKEA SADAN

Goal of ROKEYA SADAN is to rehabilitate the women in the society with full human dignity and as an economically independent individual who were once victim of violence, Within the constitutional structure of BMP a management committee named ‘Sadan committee’ has been formed to execute plan and programme adopted in Central Committee of BMP. Following steps are taken by the committee.

  • Check and assess physical and mental health firstly by volunteers. Qualified physician and psychiatrist examiners the case and advise appropriate treatment.
  • Serving as a dependable and effective temporary shelter to victim of violence by managing logistic support offered by BMP.
  • Create facility for training on sewing, cutting, boutique, block, art and music.
  • To arrange formal and non formal education.

GLIMPSES OF THE ACTIVITIES OF ROKEYA SADAN

  • Successful rehabilitation of most of the residence.
  • Established happy family life after getting married with the initiative of BMP.
  • Few are running tailoring shop and running training center in their locality.
  • One of intimate has got admitted in undergraduate medical course after successful completion of higher secondary examination.
  • At present one of our residences took part in primary school completion exam JSC successfully. Other one is studding in Medical College as undergraduate medical graduate.
Rokeya Sadan
Rokeya Sadan

FUTURE PLAN

  • Extension of activates of Rokeya Sadan as a crisis center.
  • Running job oriented technical training programme.
  • Rehabilitate the girls is the society developing skill and different sector.
  • Professional training for member and management staff to deal with victims.

 

With the help of Philanthropist and progressive people of society Rokeya Sadan has set up a good symbolic example of an idea rehabilitation center for repressed helpless women before the society and the government. Now Rokeya Sadan has become a great source of inspiration to all people concerned with the movement for resistance to violence against women.

Recent Activities