“The intersection of misogyny with poverty is a particularly painful one.”
–Thamina Eff
“My son threw me out of the house after my husband died! People believe that even the shadow of a widow can wreak havoc in their lives and bring bad luck!
Because of that, the owner threw me out of the house when they found out that I am a widow, where I used to wash dishes and clothes while hiding my real identity for earning money!
Now, I try to earn money by singing devotional songs in temples and manage to get enough for one meal a day. I could start begging but throughout my life, I have longed for some respect and some dignity!
I have been living in this temple now for more than 20 years, and every day I am just waiting for death to come so that I can be out of this life of misery and get some relief.
The only thought that bothers me badly is that nobody will mourn for me when I die! I will die unwanted and unloved.
My son knows where I live! But he never came to see me once all these years!
I feel hungry for the love of my son and my family; it is this hunger that gives me more pain than the hunger for the food I always search for.
–Alpona Rani”
Photo by Bangladeshi photographer GMB Akash