Mussamat's Story :: Courage in the Heart: Stories of Gender Justice + Legal Empowerment

MUSSAMAT'S STORY View Mussamat's Photo Essay

When Mussamat was married, her husband's family was not satisfied with the amount of dowry given. Both her husband and mother-in-law physically tortured her, pressuring her family to give more. She became pregnant and gave birth to a daughter, but her husband's family did not accept her in their home. Eventually, after continuous torture and still no more dowry money, her husband and mother-in-law threw acid on her face and body. She still experiences intense pain because of the acid, cannot be in the sun for long, and it remains very painful for her to do manual labor. BRAC is fighting for her, bearing all costs to run the case against her ex-husband and mother-in-law, which is still in progress.

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MUSSAMAT'S STORY

In order for Mussamat, who is now 22, to get married, her father sold his plot of land to pay for her dowry. As soon as she married, her husband and his family began beating her and demanding that she give them a larger dowry.

Already having sold his land, her father had became a rickshaw driver whose income was insufficient to supply further dowry. As a punishment, her husband threw acid on her face.

After acid was thrown on her, fellow members of her BRAC Citizen Action Group provided first aid and brought her to the hospital, where she received free medical assistance thanks to BRAC.

A woman in Mussamat's community visits a BRAC legal aid clinic to report gender based violence. BRAC runs the largest not-for-profit Legal Aid support in the world. Mussamat is now in the process of prosecuting her husband. BRAC is representing her case, offering her free legal aid.

A woman from Mussamat's community getting ready for a day of work in the jute fields Mussamat has trouble finding work because of stigma, the shortage of jobs for women, and her difficulties working in the sun as a result of the pain she experiences from her scars.

In this picture: Two women from Mussamat's community attending a meeting for women who have received free legal aid services from BRAC. Mussamat meets weekly with other women who are also receiving free legal representation from BRAC. Together they receive guidance from BRAC staff and offer each other support as they navigate the legal process.

In this picture: One of Mussamat's neighbors signing a form certifying that she wants to being the legal aid process with BRAC. BRAC ensures that millions of women have an ally in preventing and prosecuting human rights abuses. BRAC provides legal education, legal aid and support services to protect Bangladesh's citizens.

A BRAC lawyer in Mussamat's community leaves the BRAC branch office clinic where she meets with clients to discuss the details of their cases.

Mussamat's home where she lives with her parents and two children.

Mussamat says she is relieved to no longer live in fear of being beaten, but as a single mother with two children at the age of 22, she worries about her future. She says she won't be able to get married again (due to stigmatization and inability to pay another dowry) but she hopes she can provide a good future for her children on her own.