Tarek Zaman, a business man in the Gaibandha supermarket, is keen to be part of the campaign as he feels the problem of domestic violence is being accentuated by social customs and mounting urbanization. “I have seen my own mother being ill treated by my father. This campaign has given me an opportunity to raise the issue with my father; something I would have hesitated to do in the past. As a Change Maker, I now also talk to my neighbours. One of my friends threw his wife out of his home over a trivial issue and this upset me greatly. I sat with him and asked him to envision a situation where his young daughter was meted out with a similar treatment by her husband. He understood what I was trying to tell him. In fact, he rushed to his wife’s father house and requested her to come back.

Many of my neighbours come to me for counselling now. In fact, I conduct regular courtyard meetings to try and sort out domestic squabbles so that violence in homes can be curtailed. I have requested the imam at our mosque to speak on the issue of domestic violence at the qutba. In an attempt to take the campaign message forward, I have got them printed on the shopping bags in my shop and on my visiting card. This way people can buy commodities and ideas at the same time.”