Marilyn Thipthorpe

The women of Bangladesh did not stand by idle as their men walked down the dirt path towards an unknown destiny. All they had on their mind, both men and women, was a fire, a fire to be free. So as the men walked off into the sunset, the women went to war in their own way. They worked undercover, they took up arms themselves, they tended the sick and gave refuge to soldiers. They faced the worst fates of being raped and lynched, taken as prisoners of war and make the playthings of the enemy forces. Yet they did not bend and they did not break, they stood with their heads held high, taking the pain of a lost love, taking the torture of brutality, taking in everything so that one they could say with pride, what they did they did for their nation and more importantly their future.
A common misconception lies in the fact that most of the generation of today do not know the role that women played during our struggle and fight for independence. 45 years to the date and some still believe that women were ‘victims’, yes indeed they were, it has been estimated that 200,000 to 400,000 women were captured and raped. If this was not enough they were shunned from society for decades after even after efforts were made by the Father of the Nation to help them, their illegitimate children were denied education but slowly the tides are changing. The recognition of women and their roles in society is becoming important as so with it is coming out more and more stories of women freedom fighters. Here are a few ladies to who we owe a lot.
Taramon Bibi is one of the few women to have received the Bir Protik award for her bravery. She fought under the leadership of Abu Taher, Bir Uttam. Najma Begum, from Gopalganj, reminisces about her capture and subsequent rescue after which she participated in covert operations as well as looked after the camps. Halima Parveen from Jessore raised her voice and joined the front line of battle not far after war was declared. She was captured and made a sex slave in various camps before in her rescue in 1971. These women are just a few amongst thousands. Not long after Independence, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman declared for these women to be known fore with as ‘birangona’ or ‘war heroines’ for their priceless contributions to their nation and people.
We recognize the sacrifices and pain these ladies went through to help in the fight for justice. We as a nation, salute the war heroines of our Independence struggle.