Detailed Summary
Businesswoman & Philanthropist
As a multifaceted career woman with over 36 years of professional experience in law and international business – I was inspired to launch my business so that my expertise can benefit a wide range of clients. My professional history includes -working as a human rights lawyer and a legal advisor for reputable high street law firms, dealing with various complex legal matters. I hold over 17 years of legal experience alone.
I have also worked for a large multi-national European firm as an Operations Director / Inspector & Auditor based in Bangladesh. I was the first British-Bangladeshi woman inspector/auditor in Bangladesh in 2007. The network spread across offices in Sylhet, Dhaka City, Narangonj, and the port of Chittagong where the shipments were loaded for exports across the globe. The job was demanding in many ways especially while raising a young family as a single mother. I dealt with all aspects of manufacturing which include; garments manufacturing, inspections, audits, and shipments of goods in a timely manner. In addition to dealing with the challenges of child labour issues, over 15 million USD worth of goods had been produced and exported out of Bangladesh under my management.
Furthermore, at the same time, I fought a number of personal court cases filed against me by my ex-husband. However, I fought and won every single case with honour and dignity. I have even survived an attempted contract killing along with my girls who were very young, about five and six years of age. One of the men behind this attempted contract killing was my children’s father, whom I was still married to at the time, along with his brother, mother, and my ex-husband. I was the first British woman to win a bigamy and domestic violence case internationally in a Sharia court in Bangladesh.
Applying my passion for human rights law, I have diligently written many articles including; Child Labour Legislation-not in the name of my best interest, To Capture the Best of Baghdad-the legality of war in Iraq, Kingdom of Heaven but No Peace-Israel & Palestine conflicts, as well as my biography highlighting the abuses I have experienced throughout my life and how I have risen above that to be who I am today. My book is called Londoni Bride – modern day slavery in Britain in the name of honour and izzat.
As a humanitarian / philanthropist – I help and support women & girls in the UK as well as abroad. My personal charity work includes – empowering women & girls around the world, supporting/mentoring domestic violence victims, encouraging girls education, and eliminate child marriages. I was involved in rescue missions of victims of forced marriage as well as bringing perpetrators of rapes & gang rapes to face justice. Despite my own risks, I continue to provide vital support to women and girls.
I bring many years of professional experience, along with rising above my own battles, which have brought me face to face with key women’s and current societal issues. Not only my professional experience but also my personal experiences play a significant role in my business which will benefit many across the globe.
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I am Aklima Bibi
See how I started my journey
Where I come from and how my journey began:
I come from Bangladesh, which is located in the east of India on the Bay of Bengal. It is a South Asian country of lush greenery and many waterways – its Padma (Ganges), Meghna, and Jamuna rivers create fertile alluvial plains, and travel by boat is common. On the southern coast, the Sundarbans – an enormous mangrove forest shared with India – are home to the Royal Bengal tiger. Bangladesh obtained its independence from Pakistan on the 16th December 1971. According to the World Bank (2013), it has a population of around 156.6 million, and its official language is Bangla.
I was born in a remote village in the Sylhet district of Bangladesh on 15th March 1972. The villages had different tribes, and I belonged to one of the main ones.
Belonging to a tribe meant that I’d witnessed a number of tribal wars fought by my own tribesmen over the years, with spears they’d fashioned themselves. Even though it was a typical village life – without electricity or running water, and with the houses being made from traditional mud (known as bangla) – there was life. People loved, cared, and shared with each other.
However, there soon came a time when I had to leave Bangladesh – with my mother and siblings – in order to join my father, who had immigrated to the United Kingdom in the 1960s at the age of 19.
In March 1981, after a long visa process struggle, we finally managed to obtain entry clearance to allow us to travel to the United Kingdom to join my father. I was just eight years old.
What has my journey been like?
In my life I have fought against many obstacles, which can been seen on my above video ‘Journey to Life’.
However, I took my negative past and turned it into a positive present leading to positive future, because I was determined to not only survive but also succeed in rising above my obstacles. Fighting until my fight was done for my basic right not only as woman but as a human being. If I didn’t die when I should have died then there must be a reason for that. That inner strength is very strong. All of the obstacles I’ve encountered in my life have only made me stronger, and more driven to pursue my future goals. I knew that the only way of doing this was through education, and despite being forbidden to educate myself (I nearly lost my eye when I was beaten), I did not give up. I may have stopped in order to ensure my survival at the time, but I carried on because I knew just how important education is. I had come too far – from a remote village in Bangladesh – to give up my hopes for a better life.
What inspires me?
Alongside self-empowerment, writing, and travelling, what inspires me the most is EDUCATION. There is no greater strength than to be armed with knowledge through education – For Education Gave me knowledge, knowledge gave me power, POWER TO BE MY OWN FREE QUEEN.
