I Dream of Reality

I envision a community where people won’t suffer of deprivation. A community where we don’t have to cry out for their basic needs, where getting food, shelter, and education are not wining an uphill battle. A place where people can speak of their mind without any fear. A society provided with minimum safety-net for the citizens.

I don’t mean to digress, but a recent tragic accident in my country Dhaka, Bangladesh, has moved me very deeply. An eight-storied building collapsed in Dhaka that killed approximately 400 people so far which might increase with every passing day since we lack proper equipment to rescue the trapped survivors. It was a garment factory. Unfortunately, this is a recurring phenomenon of garment disaster that has caused massive casualties in Bangladesh.

Since garment factories are one of the main job sectors for uneducated or semi-educated women of our communities, they also become the major victims of these kinds of tragedies. Besides working in a very unhealthy and confined environment, there is next to no safety measure provided for their security.

The worst part is, even though these kinds of disasters has been happening over and again, no measures, what so ever, have been taken to provide a better working environment for those people. There are no particular government organizations that look after the victims or their families afterward. Besides, we can’t really categorize these phenomenons as mere disasters, rather as murder. Had the garment owners followed proper safety rules, ensured labor security, and government management scrutinized over the situations properly, these tragedies could have been avoided.

By bringing up this issue my motive is not to reflect on the labor right situation of my country or the lack of management. My motive is to shed some light on the fact that if we are living in a society like this, what is the value of our life then? How do I fight for women empowerment when people in general are being used as mere means? Through sharing this, I want to let my anger go, I want to discover the strength within myself: the strength to resist, to regain, and to make an impact. With all the absurdity and bewilderment of this chaotic society that we are leaving in, I do sometimes lose my feminine wisdom. But then again regain it, when I link myself to a community like this one.

I already feel very lucky and powered that I, at least, have this platform, World Pulse, to speak of my heart. I am opening myself to you all, without any fear, any hesitation, and any restriction. I somehow feel close to my vision that I am being able to share the problems of my community to the world which might, even though indirectly, giving them a voice and support, if not directly subsiding their sufferings.

Today I won’t confine my voice just only to speak for women. Today, pursuing my vision, I like to speak for the right of all those people in my community who are in need of a voice as much as they are in need of very breath to live.

I believe change can happen. I know we can make an impact. When voices like all of us will be heard together, it will be a revolution, a beginning to a new world that we envision. Voice of our correspondent, I believe in this case would work as a weapon for me. This will certainly give me an opportunity to find the correct and most effective way to represent my voice strongly that will have the maximum impact to lead me on the way of my vision.

The way we are connecting our voices together, I would also like to help the people of my community to connect their voices with each other in such a way that the final roar would be impossible to unheard. If we can make a change in our small communities, we can result a change in a whole country, eventually in the whole world.

And I know my vision is not a dream, it is, in fact, a reality possible to achieve if we work together.