Nadia Sharmeen

Nadia Sharmeen is a dedicated journalist and staunch women’s rights advocate. Having set her sights on becoming a journalist in middle school, Ms. Sharmeen joined the Bangladesh press corps in 2009, working as a crime reporter. In April 2013, while assigned to cover a massive rally organized by a coalition of fundamentalist organizations whose platform included a call for revoking Bangladesh’s women’s development policy, Ms. Sharmeen fearlessly went to work despite the strong possibility of facing a hostile crowd. As verbal harassment escalated and the crowd grew aggressive, a group of 50 to 60 men repeatedly beat, kicked, and threw her to the ground – causing her serious injury. Ms. Sharmeen’s employer denied sending her on assignment, refused to cover her medical expenses, and eventually forced her to resign. Although local police filed a case against 60 unnamed rally attendees, now – nearly two years later – none of her assailants have been identified or arrested. Today, Ms. Sharmeen works for another TV station and has enthusiastically resumed work as a crime reporter, challenging the social forces that oppose any changes to prevailing gender norms.