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Bangladesh holds the global record for number of years with a woman as head of government, according to the Pew Research Center. The current prime minister has held the position since 2008, and is the second woman to hold that position in the country’s history. Nevertheless, Bangladeshi women in general face tremendous challenges as gender inequity is pervasive, and gender-based violence and child marriage remain issues. In some ways, Bangladesh leads the world in elevating women’s voices to positions of leadership. In other ways, however, the country reflects the marginalization that is a more common experience for women around the globe. Shuchi Karim has spent much of her professional career collecting and sharing the experiences of women, particularly in terms of sexuality and gender, in this context.

Dr. Shuchi Karim began her professional career as a scholar with BRAC in Bangladesh. She received her PhD in Gender and Development Studies at Erasmus University Rotterdam, at The Hague. She has written on the rights of women and how those correlate with a country’s development, looking specifically at Bangladesh. Because of the commitment Scholars at Risk has to academic freedom, Dr. Karim was able to continue her research and teaching. She was a visiting scholar at Carlton University in Canada, and currently serves as Director and faculty member of the International Development Research Centre’s project, “Placement, Preservation, and Perseverance: Afghan At-Risk Scholars, Activists, and Students.”