In 2017, news of the Rohingya humanitarian crisis unfolding in Cox's Bazar reached Meherun, a case worker specialising in supporting survivors of gender-based violence. Determined to be part of the response effort, she felt a drive to help the women and girls at risk. However, the opportunity did not materialise in 2017.
Finally, in 2021, with the launch of the Health and Gender Support project, Meherun's single-minded dedication to serve the vulnerable women and girls led her to Cox's Bazar. It was a fated arrival, one that she finds profoundly rewarding at every turn.
With World Bank’s funding and UNFPA's technical support, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched this project in 2021. Since then, over 14,000 women and girls have accessed life-saving services from caseworkers like Meherun at the Union Health and Family Welfare Centres across Cox’s Bazar.
Aged 43, Meherun carries out a diverse range of responsibilities to support GBV survivors, including case management and psychosocial support.
She considers listening to survivors' experiences a profound privilege – experiences, she realises, that may have never been entrusted to another soul.
One survivor once confided in her, “For five years, I did not find a single person to share my story with, no one who could truly understand the depths of what I have gone through – until I came here.” This encounter has stayed with Meherun and continues to imbue her work with a deep sense of responsibility.
This survivor's education was discontinued after her marriage. During follow-up sessions, Meherun encouraged her to enroll again and complete her exams. Once graduation was complete, Meherun connected her with local NGOs offering employment opportunities for vulnerable women and girls. Today, financially independent, this survivor uses her earnings to support herself and pursue legal action against the perpetrator.
"All the survivors I have supported through case management have told me that they feel a significant reduction in their distress and challenges after our sessions together," Meherun said, making a point about why these services need to be mainstreamed for survivors across the country.
The biggest obstacle for Meherun is ensuring continued support for survivors. Social stigma surrounding GBV creates a double bind. Survivors face restrictions from their families, often taking significant risks just to access services in the first place. Limited mobility for women and girls further complicates matters. Survivors of intimate partner violence may relocate to live with their parents, making crucial follow-up appointments difficult. Some might even have to continue to live with their perpetrators – often their husbands.
Despite these challenges, Meherun recognizes the importance of her work. While achieving perfect outcomes is not always possible, she is committed to doing the best she can.
She also notes that participating in psychosocial support (PSS) training for herself and making self-care a non-negotiation allows her to start afresh every day.
Meherun daily reaches out to 10-12 women and girls through a number of outreach programmes held under the project, such as courtyard sessions, couple meetings and Polli Samaj meetings. She also conducts door-to-door visits and holds awareness sessions in the Waiting Space of the Union Health and Family Welfare Centre.
As a result of her extensive field work, Meherun is a recognized figure throughout the community. Survivors, initially hesitant to seek help, now feel comfortable approaching her directly, even outside the formal settings of the Union Health and Family Welfare Centre.
Meherun is one of the 39 case workers deployed in the 39 Union Health and Family Welfare Centres across Cox’s Bazar, delivering life-saving services to survivors, and stitching together a future where women and girls lead safe, empowered, and dignified lives.
