Parvin’s Story: A Glimpse into the Cost of State Violence and the Gaps in Reparation

By Saima Islam Tithy, Nowshin Rahman Shimu, Zakia Sultana Sadia, Alvi Hakim, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST)

During the July 2024 Uprising that led to the fall of the government in Bangladesh, around 1,400 people were killed due to disproportionate use of force by law enforcement and security forces. Among the injured was Parvin, a 27-year-old brickbreaker and mother of two from Jatrabari, Dhaka.

On 18 July, while returning home from work, Parvin saw police attacking students. She stepped in to help a young man who had been shot, but was herself struck by pellets, with more than six embedded in and around her left eye, destroying her cornea and causing immediate blindness. Students rushed her to the hospital to secure emergency surgery.

Months later, Parvin met paralegals from BLAST, a national legal aid and rights organization. They learned that despite her urgent need, Parvin was denied adequate care at government hospitals and couldn’t afford private treatment. BLAST, working with Visionary Voyage to mobilize donors, arranged for a cornea to be flown in from Sri Lanka. In February, she underwent surgery and showed signs of improvement. Unfortunately, recent follow-ups confirmed her vision could not be restored due to severe damage.

Parvin was injured in July 2024, but her corneal surgery was delayed by six months until after BLAST intervened. Her case underscores the need for prompt emergency response systems for severely injured victims. The injury has significantly impacted her daily life—she lost her job and can no longer manage her household, though she continues to receive financial support from the benefactor who assisted with her surgery.

Her experience reveals gaps in the government’s reparation response. Since 8 August 2024, Government schemes offering free medical aid and 1,00,000 BDT (approx. USD $823) in financial support have been introduced. Yet, for critical cases like Parvin’s, access to effective treatment remains difficult. BLAST has identified other victims suffering due to delayed care or medical malpractice. In Chittagong, one patient’s vision worsened, and they developed skin rashes due to an incorrect dosage of prescribed eye drops. In another incident, a 15-year-old boy’s injury was worsened when an intern improperly stitched the wound and applied plaster incorrectly, delaying his recovery.

Parvin’s story is one of resilience and community solidarity. But it also highlights the urgent need for coordinated medical responses, stronger reparations mechanisms, and accountability for those providing services to survivors.

This article was first published in the Community Corner of our Just Reparation newsletter. These contributions are invaluable in enriching our collective understanding and fostering meaningful dialogue within the reparation community of practice. If you would like to be featured, we encourage you to submit your contributions to [email protected].