Raita was six years old when her father, Sajedul Islam Sumon, was abducted on December 4, 2013. Families of the victims accused Rab1 of taking their loved ones, yet they have not received justice for the last 11 years. In anger over this event, Raita wrote, 'I hate them' referring to those who abducted her father. Sajedul Islam Sumon disappeared from Block-I, Bashundhara neighborhood, Dhaka city, on December 4, 2013. The photograph was taken in Dhaka on August 4, 2022.

Farjana, the wife of Parvez Hossain, who was detained on Dec. 2, 2013, from Shahbagh Crossing in Dhaka, speaks about the painful burden of concealing her husband’s disappearance. “In my building, all the other flat members’ families know that my husband lives abroad. No one actually knows that my husband has disappeared. Even in my child’s school, everyone knows that he lives abroad. We can’t say his father has disappeared because of the government agency. What kind of word is that! People are not aware of enforced disappearance,” she says. For the past 10 years, she has hidden the truth, with her sons telling others their father is “okay abroad.” She adds, “Even in my office, nobody knows about my husband’s reality because they could kick me out of the office since the law enforcement agency took him. Our relatives are even afraid to keep connections with us.” The truth, however, has gradually come to light through news and protests, leaving Farjana unsure of how to explain the painful reality. Photographed in Dhaka on July 25 , 2022.

Hasina Banu, 55, the mother of Selim Reza Pintu, who was abducted on Dec. 12, 2013, speaks about the unshakable hope she holds for her son’s return. “Remembering him breaks my sleep, even when I am asleep. I constantly wait to hear him calling me ‘Maa,’ saying, ‘I have returned.’” She adds, “I never doubt if my son is alive or dead. I think he is alive. I have no doubt. I believe that by the grace of Allah, my son is alive. He is still alive and will return. I read the Quran and talk with my Allah, and my prayers are always with him.” Photographed in Dhaka on Dec. 25, 2023.

In an attempt to preserve proof, the family members of the enforced-disappeared individuals carefully keep the newspapers featuring the news regarding their kin's disappearance. Firoz khan and Miraz khan were abducted on 2012. The photograph was taken in Barisal, on September 16, 2022.

Michael Chakma, an indigenous rights activist and leader of the United People’s Democratic Front (UPDF), holds the black cloth used to blindfold him during his captivity. Michael was forcibly disappeared in April 2019 and held for over five years at “Aynaghor,” a secret detention center operated by the DGFI in Dhaka. He was released on Aug. 7, 2024, when unidentified men blindfolded him and left him in Chattogram, where his family retrieved him—photographed in Dhaka on Dec. 31, 2024.

Mim, who was just three years old when her father, Mohammad Kawsar, was abducted on Dec. 4, 2013, still feels the deep emotional pain of his disappearance, even after ten years. Despite the passage of time, the wound remains raw, and Mim continues to feel the absence of her beloved father every day. Photographed in Dhaka on July 23, 2022.

Under Hasina’s regime, fear was pervasive. Those who critiqued her government risked being taken to secret detention centers, where many disappeared without a trace. In 2014, seven individuals were abducted in Narayanganj, a chilling reminder of the dangers faced by those who opposed the government. The location where these abductions took place remains a site filled with terror and haunting memories for the people, photographed in narayanganj on Aug. 16, 2024.

Safa was 2 months old when her father, Mohammad sohel, was forcibly disappeared on Dec. 2, 2013, from the Shahbagh crossing in Dhaka, Bangladesh. Ten years later, the emotional wounds remain, and her mother, Safa, continues to feel the absence of her husband every day. Photographed in Dhaka on Dec. 28, 2024.

Sanjida Islam Tulee, coordinator of Maayer Daak, received reports from journalists about a possible secret detention center at the Detective Branch (DB) offices where victims’ families might find their missing loved ones. Upon hearing the news, families of the disappeared gathered outside the DB offices, hoping for reunions. However, no one was found, photographed in Dhaka on Aug. 7, 2024.

“My daughter used to console me, saying her father was alive and abroad. Now, at 12, she understands everything, so I hide my pain to protect her. She doesn’t remember her father’s face—he disappeared when she was 3. I keep his photo in our bedroom, but she says she forgets it as time passes. Sometimes, I dream of him, asking where he has been, and he vanishes, leaving me sleepless. On those nights, we both stay awake, haunted by his absence. Mohammad Kawsar was abducted on December 5, 2013. Photo taken in Dhaka, September 28, 2022.”

With Minu and Mim as the sole members of their family, their beloved has vanished since December 4th. Will they manage to reunite with their missing loved one, or will uncertainty cast a lingering shadow over their lives? thats the question haunts them continueously .The photograph was taken in Dhaka, on may 15, 2023.

Arowa Islam was 2 years old when her father, Sajedul Islam Sumon, was abducted. The trauma and fear have haunted her life, leaving her struggling mentally to cope with the situation. Photographed in Dhakaon Aug. 4, 2022.

Kohinur Begum, the wife of Md. Jamal Ahamad, speaks about the pain of not knowing her husband’s fate. “When someone dies, we bury them. The sorrow lasts for a week, one or two months. Here I have not seen my husband with my own eyes, whether they are dead or alive. We don’t know where they are. Only Allah can say if my husband is alive or not because I have not buried him. So, how can I perceive them as dead? I feel numb when this thought crosses my mind,” she says. Md. Jamal Ahamad was forcibly disappeared in May 2011. Photographed in Dhaka on Aug. 17, 2024.

Family members of victims of enforced disappearances anxiously await the return of their loved ones. For them, the haunting experience of waiting continues, clinging to the hope that their family members will return. Hasina Banu waits for her son, Selim Reza Pintu, who was abducted on Dec. 12, 2013. The photograph was taken in Dhaka on June 30, 2022.

Araf was in the womb of his mother Farzana when his father parvez Hossain had been abducted. Parvez Hossain was abducted on Disappeared December 2, 2013 from the Shahbagh crossing, Dhaka city.This photo was taken in Dhaka on may 15,2023.

On the evening of April 4, 2013, Marufa Islam Ruma’s husband, Mofizul Islam Rashed, was abducted by men claiming to be from the Detective Branch (DB) while at a tea stall near their home. Witnesses reported that Rashed was taken away in a gray microbus. Marufa initially believed the arrest was related to his opposition party affiliation, but law enforcement denied detaining him when she visited police and RAB offices. On April 8, the family filed a missing persons report, but police refused to acknowledge the abduction in the general diary. Photographed in savar on June 5, 2024.

Shilpi, the wife of Mohammad Sohel, who was abducted on Dec. 2, 2013, speaks about the emotional and physical impact of her husband’s disappearance on their child. “My child did not eat from my hands. Every responsibility related to the child was carried out by the father. He used to scream and cry looking for his father whenever he came to this house,” she says. Shilpi also reflects on her fear of participating in protests organized by Maayer Daak, explaining, “I could not go. I was scared. In fact, I did not go there by my wish. I was scared of sudden bombing on roads. Fearing me and my child’s death, I did not go.” Photographed in Dhaka on Dec. 28, 2024.

Abdur Kader Masum was one of the individuals detained by Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) officers on Dec. 4, 2013, and has remained missing ever since. Despite his family’s repeated efforts to file complaints and seek justice, authorities have denied them a proper investigation. Masum’s mother, Ayesha Ali, was told by police that her son was simply “missing,” reflecting the broader lack of accountability for those detained that night. The ongoing disappearance of Masum continues to be a source of deep grief for his family, who have faced repeated denials from authorities in their search for answers. Photographed in Dhaka on June 25, 2023.

“I used to stare at the street-residing mad people. What if one of them is his father? Maybe he has gone crazy due to the injections? Whenever I used to see some mad people on the street, I used to get down • and look at them closely to confirm if he is my son’s father. Or the people I know... what if they are either Khalid Hasan, Sohel’s wife, Parvez or Sohel uncle. They said they will set him free because he has gone crazy, that is why I used to stand on roads and examine if the face matches. If I find someone wearing the same shirt as he did while leaving, I stop and look at them.”wife of Tariqul Islam Tara, Tariqul islam tara was detained on August 14, 2012 from Pallabi, Dhaka City. The photograph was taken in Dhaka, on July 7,2022

Following the resignation and flight of Sheikh Hasina on Aug. 5, 2024, during the Monsoon Revolution, a glimmer of hope emerged among families of the disappeared, believing their loved ones might return. That day, victims’ families gathered outside the DGFI office, waiting in vain for their return. For more than two months, a few individuals were released from secret detention centers, fueling hope that all would be freed, but many remain missing. The families continue to protest, gathering at Shahid Minar to demand the return of their loved ones. Photographed in Dhaka on Aug. 11, 2024.

In June 2018, Jamsher ali watched helplessly as several men in plainclothes identifying themselves as member of Rab picked up his 30-year-old son from outside of the home from the Capital Dhaka. He ( jamsher ali ) collects cc tv footage that shows few members with uniforms of rab members on a caught security camera near by the shop. The photograph was taken in Dhaka, on May 20, 2023.

The Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances revealed that victims of enforced disappearances were often executed, placed in cement bags, and dumped at sites such as the Buriganga River, Kanchon Bridge, and Postogola Bridge. The 2014 Narayanganj 7 murder case similarly exposed the abduction and killing of seven individuals by RAB officers, whose bodies were later discovered in the Shitalakkhya River, photographed in Narayanganj on Aug. 16, 2024.

Sanjida Islam Tulee, coordinator of Maayer Daak, comforts Fawzia Muskan Nadi, 8, whose father, Md. Murshidul Islam, was forcibly disappeared on April 19, 2017. Tulee’s brother, Sajedul Islam Sumon, was abducted along with seven others on Dec. 4, 2013. Maayer Daak, a network of victims’ families formed in response to these disappearances, is working to connect with families in rural areas who previously stayed silent out of fear. United by shared trauma and the pursuit of justice, the families have become a source of support for one another. Photographed in rajshahi on Dec. 21, 2024.