Bangladeshi women’s rights activist Nasreen Huq died in a tragic accident last week, leaving a legacy of outspoken commitment to social justice. Huq was waiting outside her home on Monday when her driver lost control of the vehicle and struck her, causing fatal injuries. Huq was holding her adopted 15-month-old daughter Jamila Shulekha, who was not hurt.
Huq, the country director of anti-poverty organization ActionAid Bangladesh, was best known for her campaign against acid violence. Acid violence is a phenomenon that occurs primarily in South Asian countries, in which spurned suitors disfigure women with hydrochloric, nitric or sulfuric acid. Huq toured American universities to promote awareness of acid violence, and arranged reconstructive surgery for survivors.
“If she were with us today, as we are shocked and lost at her going away, I am sure she would chuckle in her characteristic way and tell us to focus on what she achieved,” wrote Huq’s secondary school friend Fahmeeda Wahab in a remembrance published in Bangladesh’s Daily Star newspaper.
