Destitute Mother Sells Hair to Pay Rent in Bagerhat

RAMPAL, BAGERHAT — Abandoned by her husband and stripped of basic shelter, a young mother in Bagerhat has been forced into a desperate sacrifice, selling her own hair for ৳500 to clear unpaid rent before being cast out onto the streets with her two young children.

Rehana Khatun’s fight for survival in Santoshpur village, situated within Rampal upazila, has stirred widespread sorrow among local residents. Her plight exposes the extreme economic vulnerability confronting single mothers left without family support or stable incomes in rural communities.

A Sacrifice Driven by Poverty

Rehana’s troubles compounded after her husband deserted the family, leaving her as the sole provider for their two infants. For a period, she managed to keep her children in a small rented shack. As poverty took its toll, however, she accumulated several months of back rent that she could not afford to pay.

With no remaining assets, savings, or sources of credit, Rehana resorted to selling her hair—once a point of personal pride—to raise ৳500 and satisfy her landlord’s demands.

Ferdousi Begum, a neighbour who witnessed the aftermath, recalled discovering Rehana with a shorn head. Shocked by the transformation, she asked what had occurred. Rehana broke down in tears, begging her neighbour not to reveal the truth to others, quietly admitting that she had sold her hair to settle her housing debt.

Homeless Along the Railway Line

The sacrifice proved to be only a temporary reprieve. Unable to sustain ongoing payments, Rehana was eventually forced to vacate the shack. For months, she and her children have drifted between the verandas of sympathetic neighbours and open ground along the Khulna-Mongla railway track.

Near the entrance to Santoshpur village, adjacent to a railway bridge on public land, a skeletal bamboo frame marks her ongoing effort to secure a home. Local residents helped erect the basic structure months ago to assist the family. Lacking the money to purchase tin roofing sheets or woven bamboo walling, the frame remains completely open to the weather and unfit for human habitation.

Calls for Government Intervention

Community members have united in appealing for assistance on behalf of the destitute family. Mohidul Islam, a local resident, pointed out that a modest supply of corrugated tin and wall materials would be enough to convert the existing bamboo frame into a functional shelter. Senior villager Abu Taleb Sheikh urged local government administrators to immediately enroll Rehana in official public housing programmes.

Overcome with emotion, Rehana described the daily heartache of watching her young children endure persistent hunger and exposure to rain and cold. She appealed directly to government authorities and benevolent individuals for a simple tin roof so her family can finally sleep in safety. Local leaders continue to lobby upazila officials to integrate the family into social safety net initiatives before the hardship causes further harm.