I have always been very quiet, even when others hurt me or treat me unfairly, I would simply die quietly with the pain…shed some tears or stay away in isolation. (Actually my culture...
Cultural Norms
Will Eve-Teasers ever Rule the World?
CAT-CALLING / WOLF-WHISTLING / EVE-TEASING FACED BY A TEACHER. I, Xavier Siby Moorkattil, a sincere student from Second Year(B-Section) of Academic Year 2017-2018, S.P.N. No. 1603179...
“In between”…
I have always struggled with messages about national, racial or gender identity.. even when it comes to trivial messages like “eat French”, “buy iron from our American...
“Entre Deux” …
J’ai toujours eu du mal avec les messages sur l’identité nationale, raciale ou de genre.. même quand il s’agit de message aussi triviaux que “mangez...
Orange the World – End the Violence against...
November 25 was the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls. One in three women and girls around the world has experienced physical or sexual violence in...
Empowering Girls and Women to Achieve their Potential
It was a startling discovery five years ago that prompted me as a then 21-year-old girl in Uganda to found Go Girl Africa. My inspiration came from a chance encounter with a young cousin...
The Sreepur Village, Bangladesh
In my 26 years of married life, I gave birth to five daughters in hope each time of giving birth to a boy. Every time I gave birth to a girl I would have to suffer negativity, shame and...
Madame Secretary General From the Slum
A few days ago, I was asked again a question I receive quite often, “How did you grow up so differently from the ghettos where you were raised?” My answer has always been simple, the...
The Adolescent Girl Puzzle
In my community, being a girl is like putting together a really difficult puzzle. Being a girl can often mean that the different pieces of you don’t quite fit together. You should not be...
Building Support and Trust Through Volunteering
When I was 15 years old, I joined Youth for Youth, a Romanian non-governmental organization working on youth sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). I became a volunteer and a...