Real life in Bangladesh

The realities of life in Bangladesh can seem a bit remote to those of us who live in the comfort and security of Australia. It came a whole lot closer to us about a month ago in an incident involving the son of one of our trainers at the Hair and Beauty Project.

Late one afternoon, an email came through advising that the son of one of our trainers at the Hair and Beauty Training Centre had been  kidnapped. By the time we heard, he had been missing close to 24 hours and his mother Shuma, and the rest of his family were understandably distraught.
Shortly after, we received the very welcome news that he had been found. Apparently, he had left the school grounds briefly to buy something at a local shop and was grabbed by two men in a black car. They drove to Kishoreganj, a neighbouring town, and got out of the car to get something to eat, leaving Shubo tied up in the car.

He was somehow able to free himself while the men were away, and ran to another shop, and asked the shopkeeper to help him. This shopkeeper protected him and helped him contact his parents. His Mum and Dad were able to go and collect him.

The men in the black car have apparently disappeared. On this occasion the story had a very happy ending. Sadly for many children in Bangladesh and other developing countries, this story does not always end so well. 

These figures from 2016, reported by the UN’s International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the Walk Free Foundation, show 24.9 million people across the world were trapped in forced labour and 15.4 million in forced marriage last year. Children account for 10 million of the overall 40.3m total.

Poverty is understood to be one of the main drivers that fuels this horrifying reality.  Our hope is that by empowering women with practical skills and the possibility to dare to dream of a future with choice, we can help make a difference. 

Shuma and her son.