These voices from the Rana Plaza collapse in Bangladesh are heart-wrenching

April 24, 2015

By Bruce Wallace

AbdulAzis — Abdul Aziz’s 18-year-old son Shawn died in Rana Plaza. It was Shawn’s first job and he was trying to save money to buy a computer. He says the family will receive about 900,000 taka, or about $12,000, from the Rana Plaza compensation fund. “They say that my son's life is worth 900,000 taka,” Aziz says. “That sounds like a cruel joke to me.”
Bruce Wallace

Two years after the collapse of the Rana Plaza garment factory in Bangladesh, these survivors and rescuers are still struggling.

Rozina Begum was working on the third floor of Rana Plaza when it collapsed. Today, she and her husband are struggling to provide for their two daughters. Bruce Wallace

Rafiqul Islam_Bangladesh — Rafiqul Islam spent the days after the disaster trying to save people trapped in the building, and helping families find loved ones in hospitals or makeshift morgues.Bruce Wallace

Mahinur Akter, 18, has been turned away from new garment-factory jobs because of the stigma surrounding Rana Plaza survivors.Bruce Wallace

Nilufur Yasmin_Bangladesh — Nilufur Yasmin was working at a factory on the fourth floor of Rana Plaza when it collapsed. She’d been working in garment factories for 10 years, but hasn’t been able to work since.Bruce Wallace

Rubya Akter’s daughter Marjina died in the Rana Plaza collapse. Akter used the compensation she got to open a shop in a small stall right next to the site of the collapse.Bruce Wallace

MahmudahKhatun_Bangladesh2 — Mahmudah Khatun survived the Rana Plaza collapse, but lost her husband. She’s gone back to work in a garment factory, although she says the first months were hard. “I used to cry, for several months,” she says. “My supervisor tried to make me understand—there’s no use crying, you have to work. I gradually overcame it because I know I need to work.” Bruce Wallace

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