The Change Maker team organised a couple fair on 27-28 March, 2006 in Dinajpur to raise awareness on the importance of harmony within homes amongst the wedded people. The chairman of Dinajpur pouro shava inaugurated the fair. The highlight of the fair was a performance by a cultural group. They staged a musical the theme of which was the need to reverse violence within homes.

On March 22 2006, the Sylhet Juba Academy (SJA), a campaign ally, organised a seminar to familiarise people living in Sylhet with the issues addressed by ‘We Can’. It drew huge participation by women who were happy to find a forum to express their views.

Sylhet is one of the six divisions in Bangladesh. Due to its geographical isolation, this region has not enjoyed the benefits that the other five regions have. The area also remains largely conservative due to its isolation.

The majority of people work in garment factories. Women, in particular, are employed in huge numbers in the local factories and many of them have migrated to work in garment factories in London. But both here and in London, women lack rights within their homes and workplaces. Though women’s groups work to empower women, much ground still needs to be covered to help women find their voices and identity.

A survey done by SJA shows that 99 percent of the people in Sylhet regard domestic violence as ‘normal’ and not a ‘criminal offence’.

“It is this mindset that we need to challenge immediately,” said C Q M Mostaque, DG of NGO Affairs Bureau and the Additional Secretary of Government of Bangladesh at the seminar. The seminar mobilised hundreds of Change Makers to help in the process of attitudinal change.

After the seminar, the participants visited a remote village in Sylhet that falls under the Biswanth upazilla to interact with the women. They discovered that all the women in this village were confined to their homes. They have till date never interacted with the men of their village (apart from their husbands) and never socially met with women from outside the area. Most women accept violence against them (particularly within their own homes) as ‘normal’ and something that has to be borne as it cannot be changed. They never ever shared experiences of abuse by husbands or in-laws with anyone and never ever with their parents.

Staff of the SJA has, however, worked to bring about a change in attitudes amongst the people in the village since then. In a short span of time, about 200 families living in the village feel the need for change in attitudes towards women. Many of them have read the communication materials of the campaign and are talking to others in the community about issues they considered ’private’. Men have been seen sitting in public meeting places to discuss the campaign and women are beginning to share their experiences with one another and talking to their husbands as well. Change in attitudes towards violence against women is well on its way.

Asheya Begum says the ‘We Can’ campaign has changed her life. “It has touched me in more ways than one,” she confides. “As my husband and I became familiar with the campaign, our home has become a peaceful place. I no longer wake up to his screaming and abuses. He has also stopped sexually abusing me. Earlier, I would have to give in to his demands at all times. The campaign has indeed made a huge and happy difference. I know now that women can make others listen to their point of view and get them accepted as well. I never thought of this earlier, let alone believing that such a thing is possible.”

She continues, “When I first joined the campaign and took home communication material, my husband was furious and refused to give me permission to attend meetings. I let the matter rest for a few days and brought it up when he was in a good mood. I urged him to read about the campaign. He did and since then there has been a remarkable change in his attitude. He began, for the first time in our married life, to discuss his work and his interests. He stopped yelling at me, physically abusing me and demanding sex when it pleased him. The change in him is dramatic and unbelievable. Today, he even asks me the time of the meeting so that he can stay at home and attend to household chores. I am amazed.”