The National Girl Child Day was celebrated on September 30 as Konna Divas in Bangladesh. It gave the ‘We Can’ allies a chance to highlight the discriminatory practices against girls in the country and urge people to adopt gender-equal practices in their homes.

The idea behind the day’s events was to show children how violence constricts the range of choices open to girls and women in every sphere of life – home, school, workplace and community spaces. The underlying objective was also to expose how this indirectly impacts the lives of children and to stress upon the need to find ways to address the situation so that girls and women are able to lead a life free of violence.

A huge event for a gathering of students from across Dhaka was organised by Steps Towards Development and the Dhaka Development Forum, two significant allies of the campaign. A host of workshops, panel discussions and cultural events were conducted throughout the day for over 500 students. They were facilitated by eminent personalities and celebrities of the city. The students were divided into groups and each group was awarded t-shirts with a particular colour that carried the message that respect for humanity comes from providing equal opportunities to both the sexes.