Beyond Victims #2025 - Bangladesh Edition
- CGAP South Asia
- Nov 17
- 4 min read
Our fifth edition of 2025 Beyond Victims Series brings you stories of inspiring women political leaders from Bangladesh.
Dive in to read stories of Gloria Jharna Sarker, Dr Tasnim Jara, Samanta Shermeen, Simeen Hussain Rimi and Sanjida Khanam .
Gloria Jharna Sarker (Politician, Lawyer & Minority-Rights Advocate)
Elected in 2019 via a Reserved Women’s Seat, Gloria Jharna made headlines as the first Catholic Christian woman in Bangladesh’s Parliament. A lawyer and longtime activist from Khulna’s coastal region, she has worked to bridge divides in a predominantly Muslim society by promoting interfaith cooperation, minority rights, and advocacy for marginalized coastal communities.
Grounded in legal and social activism, Sarker has pushed for reforms in cooperative societies, calling out undemocratic practices and abuse of power in law and implementation of the Cooperative Societies Rules of 2004. She has also demanded that Easter be included as a national holiday and that a dedicated Ministry for Minority Affairs be established to safeguard the rights and welfare of religious minorities. In forums like Christian Aid’s dialogue on innovation and technology for gender equality, she has highlighted minority inclusion in digital Bangladesh and raised concerns about access to technology for women from minority groups.
Her leadership extends beyond individual advocacy: Sarker has actively participated in the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council and other minority organizations, using legislative platforms to amplify minority voices and press for policy change.
- Multiple Sources
Dr. Tasnim Jara (Politician, Health Educator & Senior Joint Member Secretary of the National Citizen Party)
Dr. Tasnim is a Bangladeshi physician, researcher, health educator, media personality and emerging politician, and known for her public health advocacy and digital health initiatives.
Educated at Dhaka Medical College (MBBS) and the University of Oxford, she has worked as a doctor in Bangladesh and the UK. She co-founded Shohay Health, a digital platform delivering trustworthy health information in Bengali, particularly aimed at combating medical misinformation and improving health literacy. She first gained national recognition during the COVID-19 pandemic for her widely viewed Bengali-language videos on vaccination, mental health, and women’s health, becoming a trusted digital voice for science communication. For these efforts, she was honored by the UK government as a ‘Vaccine Luminary’ in 2021.
In 2024, she stepped into politics through the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, a platform formed after the student uprising. Since then, she has advocated for transparency and accountability within political parties.
- Multiple Sources
Samanta Shermeen (Politician and Social Activist)
A student activist rooted in left-leaning campus politics and former member of Rashtrachinta (a student and youth group with left-leaning tendencies) she rose to acclaim as a political activist after the events following the student-led movement in mid-2024. Beginning as a spokesperson for the Jatiya Nagorik Committee, the platform that led to the old Bangladesh government’s ouster, she has since become a senior joint convener of the newly launched National Citizens' Party (NCP).
She has been a public voice for the need for justice, state institutional reforms, and political consensus for acceptable elections in Bangladesh, and has critiqued existing political parties for not adequately representing all citizens. She also champions rights-based, service-driven, and manifesto-focused governance, affirming that women’s recognition remains essential for sustained change
Outside of her political activism, she is also a creative artist and sculptor.
- Multiple Sources
Simeen Hussain Rimi (Former State Minister for Women and Children Affairs, Bangladesh)
Appointed as State Minister for Women and Children Affairs in January 2024, a position she held until August 2024. During her tenure, she championed women’s empowerment, child protection, and recognition of unpaid domestic work in GDP, underscoring that sustainable growth cannot exclude women. She focused on maternal health, prevention of child harassment, and addressing emerging issues like digital addiction among youth.
In her home constituency of Kapasia, Rimi has advanced an ambitious plan to transform 231 villages into “model villages” under a green economic hub initiative, integrating agriculture, youth entrepreneurship, and ICT-based innovation. Under her stewardship, Kapasia has achieved a reported zero maternal mortality rate, alongside initiatives to build a comprehensive community database for targeted development planning.
Rimi’s work bridges local innovation and national policy, aligning youth training, women’s empowerment, and sustainable agriculture with Bangladesh’s vision for “Smart Bangladesh.”
- Multiple Sources
Sanjida Khanam (Former MP & Supreme Court Lawyer)
A lawyer by training and conviction, she is a multi-term former Member of Parliament. She won a general seat from Dhaka-4 in 2008 becoming one of the few women to win a direct general election in Bangladesh and subsequently served multiple terms via reserved seats.Within Parliament, Sanjida has brought this same rigor to her legislative role.
As a member of the Standing Committee on the Ministry of Home Affairs, she has contributed to one of the country’s most critical oversight bodies, engaged in ensuring transparency, rule of law, and citizen security.
Her impact is seen in institutional continuity, parliamentary diligence, and legal scrutiny that fortifies democratic processes from within.
- Multiple Sources
Project Manager: Riya Hira
Contributors: Riya Hira, Alessandra Ghitturi, Renjini Rajagopalan & Manali Mathur
Edited by: Sugandha Parmar
Design: Riya Hira
Template: Vida Seraphina (https://vidaseraphina.dk/)
Sources:
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