Campaign Highlights Gender and Minority Targeting of Shampa Goswami

Front Line Defenders, a Dublin‑based rights watchdog, has warned that a sustained campaign of harassment is being directed at Shampa Goswami, a Hindu women’s rights campaigner in Bangladesh. The NGO identifies a pattern of gender‑based and minority‑related attacks that align with a wider climate of hostility toward Hindu, Ahmadiyya and indigenous communities in the country.

The defence group cites a travel ban placed on Goswami in August, which stopped her from traveling to an international conference in Bali, and a subsequent legal challenge filed in the High Court on Sep 20. In addition, a notice dated Sep 28 ordered the police chief to investigate claims of corruption and fund misuse against her, further intensifying pressure.

Front Line Defenders characterises these measures as an “administrative siege” aimed at silencing a female minority leader and the women‑led organization Prerna, which operates in Satkhira. The NGO demands that the Bangladeshi government immediately remove the travel restriction, protect Goswami’s family, and cease all intimidation tactics.

The coalition also appealed for a rapid, transparent inquiry into the threats, forced‑collection attempts and digital harassment directed at Goswami, her daughters and Prerna staff, insisting that any perpetrators be punished according to global human‑rights norms.