Int’l Women’s Day: Defying odds Tania Marches on

In 2015, 15-year-old Tania Yeasmin of Pabna was waiting for her SSC results, brimming with hope for her future.

But a dark cloud appeared when she was married off to a neighbour even before her results were published.

The resolute girl from Haturia village in Bera upazila wanted to pursue education, but her in-laws disagreed and abused her verbally and physically.

Despite every criticism and constraint, she persisted. This time, her parents supported her.

"My family forced me to get married, but when I got admitted to college, they helped me so that I can pursue my dream of becoming somebody," she told this correspondent.

But her dream came at a cost -- she was being physically and mentally tortured at her in-laws' even though she was pregnant at the time.

Amid such a harsh reality, she passed her HSC exams.

"I was struggling to survive with my new-born baby as my husband had lost his job. At one stage, I started sewing to earn money while also continuing my studies," said Tania.

By 2018, Tania had enrolled herself at a computer training centre in Bera and got an opportunity to work at Haturia Nakalia Union Parishad's information centre.

But her struggles were yet to be over. Her husband started forcing her to leave the job.

He even went to great lengths to make her quit, including defaming her through a false allegation on Facebook of her being involved in an extra-marital affair, she said.

They eventually divorced in October last year.

Following the divorce, she faced social backlash. She was being shamed and bullied constantly at her locality, and so she left her village home and started living with her three-year-old son in a rented apartment in Bera town.

Tania had to start her life again from scratch and she landed on her feet once more. Just four months ago, she started working as an agent at a Bank Asia outlet in Fakir Plaza of Bera municipality.

When this correspondent met her at the bank, she was busy at work helping clients.

"With the support of the government's a2i [aspire to innovate] project, I am working in agent banking. I've already bagged 2,018 customers, cash deals of over Tk 4 lakh and opened 40 DPS accounts," said Tania.

Presently, she is trying to complete her honours in business management from a local college.

"I want to work for improving the lives of underprivileged women in my area. I also want to work to end child marriage," she said. "I embraced so much torture, negligence and widespread criticism in my life. I wish nobody has to suffer the same fate."

Talking to this correspondent, Kaniz Airin Jahan, deputy director of District Women Affairs Office, said Tania is an example of women whose spirits can not be broken.

Tania has also received recognition as the "best entrepreneur under the a2i project" and was recognised by the Joyeeta Foundation, under the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, at the district level, said Kaniz.