The trauma of early marriage and divorce is something no teenager should have to go through. But that is what Dil has experienced in the tough environment of a refugee camp in Bangladesh.

Dil’s story underlines the enduring importance of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, the annual United Nations-led campaign supported by Islamic Relief.  This year’s campaign challenges us all to unite in action to prevent violence against women and girls like Dil all over the world.

Dil is just 17 but is beginning to turn her life around with the support of Islamic Relief.  Her journey is one of hope and growth against a backdrop of conflict and significant personal challenges, and shows the reserves of strength and courage that many young women hold within them.

Born into the turmoil that has engulfed Myanmar in recent years, Dil’s early life was marred by violence. Then, she left Myanmar with her family to seek refuge in Bangladesh. She initially settled in the cramped conditions of Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar, which is home to over half a million people.

Dil’s dreams of becoming a teacher were cut short by the harsh realities of refugee life. The daily battle for survival in the camp meant facing food shortages, insecurity, and the ever-present threat of violence against women and girls. It was a hostile setting in which marriage appeared to offer hope of sanctuary, a promise of security in an insecure world.

A marriage not of choice, but of circumstance

At just 16, Dil found herself propelled into an early marriage. Far from providing security, her short-lived marriage introduced her to a new set of challenges. The weight of her in-laws’ demands, and the strain of marital discord eventually led to a painful divorce, leaving her to navigate the stigma and hardship of life as a young divorcee in a refugee camp.

As part of relocation efforts by the Government of Bangladesh, aimed at easing overcrowding and suffering in Cox’s Bazar, Dil moved with her family to Bhashan Char – an island that has become home for many refugees. Here, with support from Islamic Relief and other humanitarian organisations, she has found a sense of community and a glimmer of hope for a better future.

A new path to self-reliance

Dil is on a journey of transformation following her enrolment into an emergency support programme for Rohingya refugee children in Bhashan Char set up by Islamic Relief. Engaging in skills training for sewing and tailoring, her efforts in stitching together pieces of fabric are helping her to rebuild her life.

With each garment she creates, Dil weaves her dreams of establishing her own business and achieving financial independence. She is determined to build a life of self-sufficiency, stability, and success.

Stitching dreams into reality

Dil’s story shows the enormous potential for empowering young women to change their lives through learning new skills with the support of their communities. As she continues to excel as a trainee, mastering the intricacies of tailoring, she hopes for a future where her creations grace the local markets and bring a reliable income to her family.

A message of hope and action

As Dil looks to the future with determination, her story stands as a powerful reminder of the transformative power and lasting value of uniting to overcome violence against women and girls – during the 16 Days of Activism campaign and beyond. There is so much more that can be done to support women and girls in the visible and invisible battles so many face. The campaign is not only about preventing violence but also about creating paths to recovery for those who have suffered.

In her fight for a dignified life, Dil is not just reclaiming her own story. She is also lighting the way for other young women around her to find their voice and strength.

Please support our efforts to protect women and girls like Dil from abuse provide them with what they need to survive and thrive – from health services to education and training.

Donate now and join us in weaving a tapestry of hope for women and girls around the world.

Behind the picturesque landscapes of Bosnia and Herzegovina lies a stark reality: a grim pattern of femicide that demands urgent attention and action.

Femicide is the most extreme form of gender-based violence (GBV) – a horrific hate crime in which women are murdered in cold blood. 1 area alone, Tuzla, has witnessed the killing of 11 women in the past 2 years, victims of a society in which violence against women is terrifyingly commonplace.

It was in Tuzla that a particularly chilling act of violence stunned the public earlier this year. A woman’s life was brutally ended by her estranged partner, live on social media. He then proceeded to kill 2 more people before turning his gun on himself.

These tragedies are not anomalies but the most extreme expressions of GBV, rooted deeply in the private confines of what should be a safe haven for women – their own homes. These murders are often the culmination of prolonged domestic abuse that has been ignored or has gone unreported, with current or former intimate partners being the most common perpetrators.

A daughter’s tragic loss

Mayana, a 30-year-old single mother, knows the human cost behind these statistics all too well. Already marred by the early loss of her husband to cancer, her life took another devastating turn when her father killed her mother in an alcohol-fuelled rage that was witnessed by Mayana’s children. Domestic violence is a pervasive problem in Bosnia and Herzegovina, but the stigma attached to it and the inadequate institutional response often leaves victims without support or justice.

Easing the trauma through the Step Forward project

Islamic Relief has provided a lifeline for Mayana through our Step Forward project. The initiative aims to shed light on the often-overlooked area of mental health, offering a sanctuary for those afflicted by domestic violence and other trauma. We provided psychological first aid and group therapy for Mayana and her children, refusing to let them face their trauma in isolation.

Even with this support, the trauma lingers. Mayana requires daily neuropsychiatric care, and her children are still receiving individual therapy. This ongoing care is essential, as the way back from such trauma is rarely straightforward.

Confronting deep-rooted cultural challenges

Societal attitudes towards domestic violence are deeply entrenched in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Surveys indicate that more than 1 in 3 women have experienced violence, yet too often this is considered a private matter best resolved within the family.

The call for zero tolerance for violence against women and the demand for changes in cultural attitudes and government policies have never been louder. The murder of the woman killed live on social media sparked nationwide protests and demands for action.

Islamic Relief is at the forefront of the collective outcry, pushing for change through awareness campaigns, educational initiatives, and direct support for survivors.

Hope amid despair

6 months into their journey of recovery, Mayana and her children show the resilience of the human spirit. Their gradual psychological improvement suggests a light at the end of the tunnel, a testament to their strength and to the value of support provided by Islamic Relief.

The plight of women in Bosnia and Herzegovina is just 1 example of how destructive and horrific GBV can be. As Islamic Relief marks the latest annual United Nations-led 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign, we want the stories of Mayana and others to inspire us all to raise awareness and take practical action to prevent GBV and support survivors.

Please help us to continue our vital work to support women like Mayana around the world. Donate now.

Hospitals in Gaza on verge of total shutdown as doctor describes nightmare conditions

Hospitals in Gaza are on the verge of total shutdown as more have come under intense bombardment today, Islamic Relief is warning.

Almost two-thirds of all hospitals in Gaza are now completely out of action and the rest are struggling to keep functioning while civilian casualties continue to rise. Today’s escalated attacks on hospitals have gravely endangered medical staff and civilians and caused casualties and significant damage. Islamic Relief believes that hospitals must never be a target.  

Today’s attacks add to the enormous pressure on the few remaining hospitals in Gaza. A doctor* from Al Shifa Hospital, interviewed by Islamic Relief before today’s bombing, has described horrific conditions, with staff digging mass graves for unidentified bodies, corridors filled with thousands of displaced people, and patients bombed as they try to evacuate. The recent bombing at the hospital, where Islamic Relief has distributed medicine and medical supplies, has severely damaged x-ray and obstetric departments and hit the hospital yard where tens of thousands of displaced people have sought refuge. 

The doctor warned of disease outbreaks inside hospitals due to overcrowding and lack of water and fuel. Patients who have undergone surgery are getting infected due to unhygienic conditions and lack of equipment, as the Israeli siege continues to starve hospitals of essential supplies.  

The doctor at Al Shifa told Islamic Relief staff: 

“We are overrun with injured people and are four times over capacity. Each minute we are receiving huge numbers of injured people. Even in the operating theatre, we have huge numbers of people who have had surgery but we have no other place to put them. We can’t cope, we don’t have space. 

“We are overwhelmed with displaced people as well as patients. In this hospital, we have more than 55,000 displaced people, occupying every square meter, in every department, and in the corridors and the parking space. I’m worried about disease outbreaks – we’re seeing infections and a lot of diarrhoeal disease and skin diseases like scabies and lice. 

“We dug mass graves for a lot of unknown displaced people (who have been killed). If nobody recognises them we have to bury them in a mass grave. In this hospital, we’ve buried about 200 people like this.  

“We haven’t received any fuel. Patients will die if we don’t have fuel for the ICU, neonatal, and operating theatres. We have 400 patients on dialysis here – if we don’t provide people with dialysis they will die.  

“We are exhausted and working to the maximum, but we are not able to provide people with a good quality of care. We lack the essential drugs and medicine and anesthetic drugs to treat patients. A lot of the wounded people have maggots in their wounds. The conditions here are disastrous.” 

Israel has ordered all hospitals that remain open in northern Gaza to evacuate patients, but the doctor says that they have come under attack while attempting to leave: “We need to evacuate many patients. We succeeded in evacuating some patients but (for others) we didn’t succeed as the Israeli army attacked them. It was not safe to transport any patients from the hospital to other places.”  

Other hospitals that remain open are similarly at risk. Doctors at al-Rantisi children’s hospital say they are now surrounded by military tanks, while doctors at Al Awda hospital, the only provider of maternity services in northern Gaza, say they are on the verge of shutting down. Al Quds hospital in Gaza City has had to shut down the surgical ward, oxygen generation plant and MRI ward due to the lack of fuel.   

Islamic Relief continues to call for an urgent ceasefire and protection of civilians and civilian infrastructure such as hospitals, in accordance with international humanitarian law.  

Humanitarian aid must be allowed into Gaza, including essential fuel. The ongoing Israeli siege means that only around 1 days’ worth of aid has been able to enter Gaza in almost three weeks. Since 21 October, when the first aid convoy was permitted through the Rafah crossing, 650 trucks have entered Gaza carrying aid such as food, medicine and bottled water – but this is just a drop in the ocean compared to what is needed, as even before this escalation Gaza relied on an average of 500 trucks entering a day. Israel continues to ban fuel from being included in these limited humanitarian convoys, forcing hospitals to shut down essential services.  

Islamic Relief’s Gaza crisis response has so far provided aid including almost 2.3 million medical items to hospitals, including Al Shifa, as well as food to thousands of people in shelters, water for more than 15,500 people and hygiene and dignity items for more than 8,000 people.

*We have withheld the doctor’s name given the security situation.

Please help Islamic Relief to support people in desperate need in Gaza. Donate to our Palestine Appeal now.