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BIOGRAPHY OF Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury
Speaker, Politician
October 6, 1966 – present
Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury is a Bangladeshi politician. She was nominated as the first female Speaker in the history of Bangladesh. She was the Speaker of the Ninth National Assembly, on April 30, 2013, at 46. She was the Minister of State. She was elected as a Member of Parliament in the Eleventh Parliamentary Election held on December 30, 2018 & re-elected as the Speaker of the National Parliament on January 3, 2019
She was also the Chairperson of the Executive Committee of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association from 2014 to 2017. She previously served as the state minister of the Ministry of Women & Children Affairs of Bangladesh.
Life of "Shirin Sharmin chowdhury" At a Glance
◉ Real Name: Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury
◉ Date of Birth: October 6, 1966
◉ Father Name: Rafiqullah Chaudhury
◉ Mother Name: Naiyar Sultana
◉ Profession:
➢ Speaker of the Ninth National Assembly
➢ Politician
◉ Education:
➢ Ph.D. degree in constitutional law & human rights, University of Essex in the UK
➢ LLM, University of Dhaka
◉ Religion: Islam
◉ Native Language: Bangla
◉ Married to: Syed Ishtiaque Hossain
◉ Children:
➢ Lamisa Shirin Hossain
➢ Syed Ibtesham Rafiq Hossain
◉ Awards received:
➢ Asia Society’s Humanitarian Service Award, 2010
➢ Women Leadership Achievement Award,2015
Early Life
Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury served as editor of Bangladesh Legal Decisions (BLD), Law Report Series issued monthly by Bangladesh Bar Council from 2003 to 2008. She developed several dialogue & concept papers with various pertinent NGOs & Human Rights organizations on human rights issues. Her published articles include:
Role of the Judiciary in the Development of Human Rights, published in 1999, published by Ain O Salish Kendro (ASK)
The Least Dangerous Branch and the Power of Judicial Review: Impact on the Development of Fundamental Human Rights, published in 2000, published by Ain O Salish Kendro (ASK)
Right to Life and Its Dimensions, published in 2000, published by Ain O Salish Kendro (ASK)
Practice of Democracy: Importance of Free and Fair Election in Bangladesh presented as Key Note paper in a Seminar organized by Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA), Bangladesh Heritage Foundation
Electoral Rights: Bangladesh Perspective, Conference Report on Human Rights and Governance, Local and Global Perspective, 16–18 January 2005, Manusher Jonno and Partners Regional Position Paper on Status of Women in South Asia written for SAAPE as Regional Thematic Focal Person from Bangladesh.
was born on October 6, 1966, in Chatkhil thana of Noakhali, Bangladesh. Her father, Rafiqullah Chaudhury, was a Civil Service of Pakistan (CSP) officer & Secretary to Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in 1972. Her mother, Naiyar Sultana, was the principal of Dhaka College & a member of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission.
Education
Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury passed her SSC and HSC in 1983 and 1985 from Holy Cross Girls School and College. She earned the 1st position in the combined merit list from Humanities. Then She got 2nd position in her HSC. Then she joined the University of Dhaka and earned her LLB and LLM degrees in 1989 & 1990. She got a Commonwealth scholarship from the University of Essex in the UK. In 2000 she made her Ph.D. degree in constitutional law & human rights. Her thesis was on “The Right to Life” and her area of Specialization is Constitutional Law and Human Rights.
On July 16, 2014, Dr. Shirin Sharmin received an honorary Ph.D. from the University of Essex.
Professional Career
Dr. Shirin, the International Affairs Secretary of the Awami League, was nominated MP from one of the parliamentary seats reserved for women on March 24, 2009. Until her nomination for Speaker of Jatiya Sangsad in April 2013, she was State Minister of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs (Bangladesh).
On January 28, 2014, Dr. Shirin was elected MP from the Rangpur-6 constituency evacuated by the Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina, after the January 5 elections. She was uncontested in the by-elections & was nominated for Speaker by Awami League the same day. She took a vow as the Speaker of the 10th Parliament on January 29, 2014, becoming the first person to remain Speaker across two consecutive tenures.
She is a member of the Central Committee of the Bangladesh Awami League and the Chairperson of the CPA Executive Committee.
She has worked diligently to get the Amki Mahila Alim Madrasa registered in the MPO and has provided financial & governmental support to this women’s educational institute. As a result, thousands of female students in the area still get the opportunity to get an education from this madrasa.
She carried out a wide range of activities for the CPA during her term in office. This includes hosting of the 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Dhaka, Bangladesh in November 2017.
After passing LLM, she joined Bangladesh Bar Council in 1992 as a registered lawyer. She worked for 15 years as an Advocate in the Supreme Court of Bangladesh. Her area of expertise includes: Commercial, Corporate Law, Human Rights and Constitutional Law, Contract, Banking Law, Documentary Credit, Securities Law, Shipping/Admiralty, International Trade, Construction, Turnkey Project on BOO / BOOT basis, Criminal Law, Arbitration, Mediation, and Judicial Review by way of Writs in legal area. She holds intense interests in Sustainable Developments areas such as: Pro-bono Public Interest Litigation, Gender Issues, Inclusive and sustainable Development.
Personal Life
Dr. Shirin is married to Syed Ishtiaque Hossain, a pharmaceutical consultant. She has a daughter, Lamisa Shirin Hossain, and a son, Syed Ibtesham Rafiq Hossain.3.
Awards
Dr. Shirin was awarded Asia Society’s Humanitarian Service Award on June 9, 2010, in gratitude for her role as a leader in advocating the removal of violence against women & mainstreaming women’s empowerment and employment in Bangladesh.
In a gala award ceremony at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Washington DC, she received this award from Ambassador Melanne Verveer, US Ambassador-at-Large, Global Women Issues.
She was honored with the Women Leadership Achievement Award at the 2nd World Women Leadership Congress & Award (WWLCA) 2015. Addressing a seminar, ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future,’ Dr. Chaudhury called for integrating women in most development.
Publications
Dr. Chowdhury served as editor of Bangladesh Legal Decisions (BLD), Law Report Series issued monthly by Bangladesh Bar Council from 2003 to 2008. She developed several dialogue & concept papers with various pertinent NGOs & Human Rights organizations on human rights issues. Her published articles include:
– Role of the Judiciary in the Development of Human Rights, published in 1999, published by Ain O Salish Kendro (ASK)
– The Least Dangerous Branch and the Power of Judicial Review: Impact on the Development of Fundamental – Human Rights, published in 2000, published by Ain O Salish Kendro (ASK)
– Right to Life and Its Dimensions, published in 2000, published by Ain O Salish Kendro (ASK)
– Practice of Democracy: Importance of Free and Fair Election in Bangladesh presented as Key Note paper in a Seminar organized by Bangladesh Institute of Law and International Affairs (BILIA), Bangladesh Heritage Foundation.
– Electoral Rights: Bangladesh Perspective, Conference Report on Human Rights and Governance, Local and Global Perspective, 16–18 January 2005, Manusher Jonno and Partners Regional Position Paper on Status of Women in South Asia written for SAAPE as Regional Thematic Focal Person from Bangladesh.
