DHAKA, Jan 3, 2024 (BSS)- Bangladesh has been witnessing a consistent surge in self-employment driven by a simultaneous rise in the count of self-employed entrepreneurs. While self-employment stands as significant options over unemployment, it is burdened with a wide range of challenges. Poor people particularly women go through several problems, including financial crisis, tortures in husband's families and pressure of dowry.

The story of a Rajshahi girl-- Ratna exposes the bitter truth of hurdles being faced by new entrepreneurs. She was married off in 2002, her poor parents gifted gold, furniture, bicycle and Taka 20,000 cash as dowry to her husband. Ratna craved for a nice family as any new bride seeks for it.
 

But, the fate of Ratna was not so smooth and problems were cropped up in her family just after a few days of her marriage. Her husband- Milan was giving pressure on her to bring more money from her parents and the undue pressure increased day by day. At one stage, the family members of her husband  started repressing Ratna physically and mentally. Even, Ratna was beaten severely by her husband when she was pregnant for four months and none of her father-in-law’s family came to save her. The neighbours came to protect Ratna and sent her to a relative's house. And later, she was sent to a hospital.
 

Ratna, who used to live in Rajshahi,  got cured after getting month-long treatment from One-Stop Crisis Center of Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. She lodged a case with  Mahanpur Thana against her husband and the police arrested her husband- Milan and his family members.
 

Ratna, whose full name is Anju Ara Akther, didn’t know what will happen in future. But, one day she was called by the crisis center and they helped her. She started business of boutiques. And now, she is running two businesses- a beauty parlor and a boutique house. She is now passing her days happily along with her school-going boy.
 

Ratna said, “It was not so easy to become successful in my life. My husband and his family members tried to kill me. But I escaped narrowly. After lodging the case, I fell into different problems. They forced me to withdraw the case. Even, they threatened me to kill. But, I was determined.”
 

Human rights activist Advocate Monowara Haque said Bangladesh is now a role model before the globe in women empowerment. And has been possible only for the will power and different time-befitting steps of the Awami League government, she added.
 

She said women are now holding many top positions at different sectors and discharging their responsibilities with utmost sincerity. Women don’t want to be left behind any longer, she added.