Contact details
E-mail: ikhanmojlish[at]yahoo.com
Facebook: WIMA Bangladesh-BWRC
About WIMA Bangladesh
Bangladesh Women Riders Club, BWRC, was founded by Israt Khan Mojlish and started its journey in 2013 with only two members. It’s the first and only women riders club in Bangladesh. It became WIMA Bangladesh in July 2016. It is dedicated to all women who ride and to those who are inspired to learn. We truly admire and pay homage to the pioneer women riders of yesteryear who came before us and had to overcome so many obstacles in order to ride.
We are also working towards the realization of women’s empowerment and gender equality — protecting our rights and improving the lives of women and girls on the ground. We have worked with ActionAid for “16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence” and we donate to support underprivileged children. We introduced SADP (Sexual Assault Defensive Programme) in Bangladesh and organized the first workshop on SADP where many women took part and learned the techniques.
Notable members
Israt Khan Mojlish, founder and President
I’m a computer engineer by profession. I was one of the first women to ride a bike in Bangladesh. I bought my bike in 2012 and I started Bangladeshi Women Riders Club in 2013. When I started, I noticed that not many other women were riding. There was simply no one to connect with in case I had a problem or issue. Moreover, back then, the barriers the women bikers had to face, the looks they had to endure from people and the way it affected their daily lives made riding quite a struggle. We would have to endure unwanted whistles and verbal abuse from middle- aged and old men. Also, when it got dark and we had to ride through a narrow street, random male bikers would speed past in very close proximity to scare us and risk causing us to crash.
In our country, there is still fear and taboo about women riding bikes. I have this wish to get higher cc bikes of good quality. When such bikes become available in Bangladesh, I’m going to purchase one – I would love to go on a world tour on it as a Bangladeshi woman.
Israt is also features in the Former International Officers section for her role as International PR Officer.
Rosen Mahmos, Vice-President
Vice-President of WIMA Bangladesh Rozen has been riding a bike for about 24 years. She started riding as a way to keep herself safe, as women travelling on buses often got harassed by male travellers. When she started riding there were no other women motorcyclists in Dhaka; she is a pioneer who continues to encourage other women to ride their own bikes.
