I lost my job and tried to commit suicide, now I'm a Success International Journalist

I have chosen journalism as a profession from my childhood passion for writing short stories and poems. Overcoming many obstacles, I have been in that desired profession for the last 15 years. I have been the victim of a lot of harassment at work while working in this profession. I was sexually harassed at work and committed suicide. But when I get my new life back, I take up the challenge of becoming more successful in this profession. I have won several awards and fellowships for my good work in journalism.

Among my success stories, I won the second Best Journalist Award from the Bangladesh Women Lawyers Association for reporting on women's rights in 2011, the "Bondhu Social Welfare Media Fellowship" award for reporting on third genders in 2017, the Tourism Industry Journalist Fellowship for Tourism Reporting Fellowship in 2018 and the "Action Aid Young Journalist Fellowship" in 2019.

But all my successes were not warmly accepted by many of my colleagues. I was terminated from Mohona TV during the Covid pandemic time without any prior notice which i was confident was nothing but an issue of sexual harassment I protested against a news editor just before the pandemic. The issue remained unsettled and I continue fighting for my rights.

As a case regarding sexual harassment and injustice on me is under court, it has been hard for me to get a new job in the male-dominated Bangladesh media. I once tried to commit suicide out of frustration without getting any job.

But that day my husband was coming home from the office very early. I didn't get a chance to eat even with the sleeping pills in hand. And then I thought why I was going to do this horrible thing. And from that moment I thought. I will take revenge, by improving my journalistic career.

 During the lockdown period of covid 19 pandemic, I continued to develop my skill and participated training in at Reuters, BBC, and DW Academy online after losing my job.

My case is ongoing, the journalist rights organization "South Asia Article 19" is helping me to prosecute the case. And they give me a part-time job for 6 months to work with them. South Asia Article 19 was a turning point in my career life. Article 19 is a good reference for me to reach the international level.

In 2020, I started working as a senior reporter in Bangladesh's mid-level media ‘‘News Now Bangla’’ online portal with a very low salary. And I got the opportunity of ‘‘Asia Journalism Fellowship in 2022’’  &``World Science Journalism Fellowship in 2022'' by working on this portal at the mid-level.’’. In Bangladesh, I won  "Action for Social Development Media Fellowship 2021" in the online category for publishing news about child sex workers. The editor of this newspaper is a woman journalist Shamima Dola. Who hires jobless women journalists in his organization. The pay is low, but there is respect.

I am also trying to prove my skill global context. Some article of mine was published on the International Web Asia Democracy Chronicles (ADC) web. I am grateful to them.

My current challenge is to keep up my zeal for the journalism profession.

I want to share this success story of the ups and downs of my life with everyone. I want to share this success story of the ups and downs of my life with everyone. I have just started, and I have to learn more and do more work in journalism. Now I feel that self-destruction is not the solution. Rather, the success of life is to use one's own abilities.