Farzana Sithi and the struggle for women’s rights after the 2024 uprising ^{CEFR B1}

Farzana Sithi, a student activist and volunteer with The Hunger Project, Bangladesh, rose to prominence during the July–August 2024 youth uprising. The movement forced top officials to step down and made Sithi a visible voice for women’s rights. Supporters gave her names such as the "Tigress" and the "Iron Lady", but she also endured prolonged online harassment and smear campaigns.

Sithi says the uprising began as a collective stand against long-standing discrimination and authoritarian rule. After the regime fell people felt hope for greater freedom of speech and public safety. One year on, she describes the situation as showing "zero progress" and, in some areas, getting worse. Since August 5, 2024 she reports an increase in religious and gender-based discrimination, more public lynchings and mob violence, easier access to illegal arms, and routine harassment of women.

She criticises how the dead were handled: many martyrs are unaccounted for, DNA tests remain unfinished, and families lack basic information. She calls the interim government’s refusal to provide closure its most shameful failure, even as the state holds concerts and public commemorations. Sithi urges rebuilding unity and says women may return to the streets if attacks continue.