Rima Sultana Rimu (

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

: রিমা সুলতানা রিমু; born 2002) is a Bangladeshi women's rights activists and advocate for gender-responsive humanitarian action in

Cox's Bazar Cox's Bazar (; bn, কক্সবাজার, Kôksbajar; ) is a city, fishing port, tourism centre, and district headquarters in Southeastern Bangladesh. It is located south of the city of Chittagong. Cox's Bazar is also known by the na ...

. She was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women for 2020.

Personal life

Rimu was born in 2002 in

Ramu The Ramu River is a major river in northern Papua New Guinea. The headwaters of the river are formed in the Kratke Range from where it then travels about northwest to the Bismarck Sea. Along the Ramu's course, it receives numerous tributaries ...

in the

Chittagong Division Chittagong Division, officially known as Chattogram Division, is geographically the largest of the eight administrative divisions of Bangladesh. It covers the south-easternmost areas of the country, with a total area of and a population at the 2 ...

of Bangladesh, into a peasant farming family.

Activism

In 2018, Rimu joined Young Women Leaders for Peace within the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP), established in collaboration with the local non-governmental organisation Jago Nari Unnayon Sangsta (JNUS) and supported by UN Women. As part of this role, she first visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox's Bazar whilst taking part in JNUS' literacy and numeracy initiative. She subsequently helped devise formal literary and numeracy training courses to deliver to Rohingya children living in the Balukhali camp following finds that 50% of Rohingya children under the age of 12 were receiving no formal education. In addition to her work with refugees, Rimu has also advocated for mediation and restoration work between refugees and the local population in Cox's Bazar, where tensions were high due to high levels of poverty in the district prior to the arrival of the refugees. Rimu's initiatives on literary and numeracy education, as well as spreading awareness of issues including child marriage, dowries, and domestic abuse, are done among women in Cox's Bazar, regardless if they are Bangladeshi nationals or refugees. Rimu has also used radio broadcasts and plays to spread awareness of these issues. Rimu has cited Bangladeshi prime minister Sheikh Hasina as amongst her inspirations.

Recognition

In 2020, Rimu was named as one of the BBC's 100 Women; one of two Bangladeshi women recognised that year, alongside Rina Akter.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rimu, Rima Sultana Living people Bangladeshi women's rights activists Bangladeshi human rights activists Bangladeshi educators People from Cox's Bazar District 2002 births