Be loud. Be messy. Be too much. Your existence is not an apology -- it is an announcement

For mothers across Bangladesh, love for their daughters comes with an inseparable companion: fear. From Dhaka’s crowded apartments to quiet village streets, raising girls in a patriarchal society demands constant vigilance, courage, and resilience.

It still feels like yesterday. It was a March evening in 2017. I stood outside the labour room -- anxious, restless, and counting the seconds.

The photo of Sanjida Ahmed Tonni, blood streaming down her face after being attacked by Chhatra League activists, became one of the defining images of Bangladesh’s July Movement.

In a year shadowed by violence and uncertainty, Bangladesh’s girls have stood where courage is tested most. They are the first to lose when systems fail, yet the first to rise when the world needs rebuilding. From classrooms to clinics, protest lines to policy tables, they lead with resilience beyond their years.