Promises of a better future have turned into a lifetime of suffering for many who took part in the mass uprising in the fateful July of last year. In the aftermath of the brutal crackdown, dozens of young men and women – many of them students, workers, and laborers – have been left with devastating injuries.
Some lost limbs. Others were left with permanent disabilities.
For those who survived gunshot wounds that led to amputations, the struggle is far from over. They have tried to cope, to move forward, but each attempt seems to collapse under the weight of physical and emotional trauma.
They are trying to rebuild their lives, but most remain unemployed, their bodies broken and dreams shattered.
The pain is constant, the despair heavy.
Stream spoke to some of them: a driver who once navigated the city streets with ease now sits in silence, his leg amputated. A garment worker, whose fingers once stitched the fabric of the nation's economy, can no longer use her right hand. A young boy, once full of life, scurrying around a salon sweeping up loose hair, has lost a leg – and with it, his livelihood.
They speak of their pain with quiet resignation, saying the only small solace comes from the fact that the one who gave the order to fire – former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina – was forced to flee the country.
But even that cannot erase the scars, nor ease the burden they now carry every day.
Arafat, 32, who once navigated the capital's Uttara area, now resides in his native village -- Monohorpur under Pabna Sadar. After losing his left leg, he has become a general store trader.
"But I need to seek assistance from others to run my shop. I set up the shop hardly two to three months ago. The interest in helping me will not persist for long. I am in fear of what to do in future," he added.
Arafat said his name was gazetted and he got Tk 2 lakh as compensation. Half that amount came from the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation while the remainder came from the district administration.
However, he also had to bear the cost of the treatment after sustaining a gunshot wound on July 17 last year. The costs amounted to Tk 1.5 lakh and he had to scramble to source the funds. He still owes around Tk 45,000 to debtors.
Mostakim, 23, now residing in Bhasantek, was not that lucky in terms of compensation.
He said he got only Tk102,000: Tk 1 lakh from the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation and Tk 2,000 from the district administration.
He was shot on 19 July, when doctors in many hospitals were unwilling to treat patients injured during the crackdown due to fear of repercussion.
Mostakim said his family had to give surgeons at National Institute of Traumatology and Orthopaedic Rehabilitation Tk 50,000 just to make them agree to perform the amputation, which in turn cost around Tk 70,000.
"So, we were left with no money," he lamented, adding that he was having to dip into his savings since his family was left without a bread-winner.
He said he was in the process of getting more money from the district administration in order to enroll in online courses and bolster his future job prospects.
"I have been trying to find work for the last nine months but couldn't get anything. We cannot get jobs now, everyone will forget us after a year," he lamented.
The situation is even more critical for Shahidul Islam, currently residing in Mirpur 14. The eldest sibling, Shahidul was the only earning member of his family.
But in the garment industry, a worker's hands are everything.
His world changed last year when a bullet tore through his left hand during the uprising, leaving three fingers permanently disabled.
In February, the government arranged for him to be sent to Thailand for treatment, and he returned in early June. Doctors at NITOR recommended long-term therapy, but he remains uncertain – unsure if the treatment will help, or if he will ever regain full use of his hand.
Shahidul has been unemployed for the last year.
"At the age of 20, when I need to work day and night for my family, I am sitting idle. I can't bear it. Many called us the heroes of July. But the reality is no office wants to make any compromise for us. They can't accept our shortcomings and hire us. If the government does not create a way out for us, we don't know where our future lies," Shahidul said in frustration.
Stream spoke to another 10 such people across the country.
Each of them complained that no company was willing to give them a job, not even their previous workplaces. Again, the little that the government provided as compensation was spent clearing debts.
They are now left with little to no money.
As such, they all said they had contacted the July Shaheed Smriti Foundation. Authorities there had given them hope, but they have not seen the light till now.
Still longing for recognition
Md Kabir, father of Rakib, who was injured during the uprising and lost his left leg, said they had a big general store at the Tera Market.
However, with money urgently needed to treat his son, he had to move to a much smaller shop.
"We had better days in the past. Rakib worked in a Salon, I had a bigger general store. But I needed to borrow Tk 1.5 lakh for his treatment. I am still repaying parts of that through installments.
"But the saddest part is the endless suffering. My son is yet to get recognition. His name is yet to be gazetted," he rued.
Mostakim also pressed the same concern, saying if the gazette was made, he will get compensation that might give him a chance to be employed again.
He said: "We never thought that a person could open fire on students, youths and mass people. That was beyond our wildest imagination. That thought provoked us to become involved in the movement. We sacrificed, the government fell. That's our only consolation. But without recognition, the joy will only turn to dust."
July Foundation executive member Sabrina Afroz Sebunti said that, considering the plight of most of these individuals, they would find it extremely difficult to survive in the job market.
"So, we are working on finding employment opportunities for them. We are considering the category of injury and trying to find out what work will suit them. Currently, institutions such as the BGMEA, BKMEA, and SME Foundation are trying to find suitable work for them."
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