The Voices of the Victims

In the past decade, both local and international human rights organizations have expressed concerns about the growing number of incidents and the government’s unwillingness to address this menace. They have asked for independent investigations. UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances have sent letters to the government of Bangladesh on May 4, 2011; March 9, 2016; February 22, 2017, and May 22, 2019 and requested permission in 2013 to visit Bangladesh. These have fallen on deaf ears. These have not stopped the families of the victims from continuing their pursuit for justice for their loved ones. They have founded an organization called the ‘Mayer Dak’ (The Mothers’ Call). This is akin to the Argentina’s Mothers of the Plaza de Mayo, which was founded by mothers whose children “disappeared” between 1976 and 1983 under the Pinochet regime. Mayer Dak, founded on March 12, 2016, has remained relentless and organized demonstrations and protests in the past years. In recent years, it is reported to have faced intimidation (New Age 2021).