#IStandWithHer : empowering girls voices

Lets be clear: gender based violence doesn't just affect women.  It affects girls, especially school girls. In my country, you will be surprised to know that minor and teenager girls face more violence than adult women face, but they don't know where to go and how to talk about it. So they suffer even more.

Young girls face violence at home, in neighborhood, in public places and also at school. I feel they must be given the power to speak of their sufferings. We must listen and find a solution. If we delay, it will only make the girls suffer more and ultimately affect their physical and mental growth and health.

So this time during the 16 Days of activism, I decided to take a new action: go to high schools, and ask all the girl students to speak out about the forms of violence they face and other problems they have. A box is placed in the classroom and each girl will put a chit which will have one challenge. They will do it anonymously, so that their privacy is respected. And then, after all the girls have put their chits, the box is opened, the problems are read aloud and a solution to that is discussed. The school authorities are present, girls are present, so nobody is doing anything fabricated  or fake.

Getting access to teenage and minor girls is not easy. I worked very hard to get the permission of the school to conduct this instant survey and also very happy that the school authorities agreed to read the challenges and find an instant solution. I am also constantly discussing with parents about the safety of girls.

I am doing this as a step to make our next generation bolder and safer. I am also doing this to express solidarity to our global sisters who are participating in 16 days campaign. #IStandWithHer