When I was 13, I was coming back from school and a man followed me home for over 15 mins trying to talk to me! Yes, my mom warned me about me these 'bad guys' but still, I was so scared and terrified. As I got home, I locked myself in and tried to calm down. I called my mom and the second she arrived, I saw him running to another girl trying to harass her. Now she had to feel what I felt and go through what I had been going through - what a tragic world we are living in!
Read MoreAs I'm from a village, I have seen a lot of discrimination against women. Girls are getting educated and the society…harassments are increasing against [women].
Read MoreIn Morocco, sexual harassment is literally everywhere, in streets, in transportation, in schools. Despite having a lot of laws to prevent it. People just don't care, when you ask them why did you sexually harass that person, they just say that girls shouldn't wear revealing and tight clothes, because when she wears them she seeks for attention. This is how they justify their actions.
Read MoreWhen I started writing, I realized that I can bring about change even if it means starting from the grass root level. I am an outspoken and vivacious girl and people always judged me in a negative way. But, my writings helped me gain the kind of readers who were inspired and people actually stopped judging me and started admiring me for who I am. I am passionate about my writing! With a view to turn my passion into a career, I am currently pursuing my Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Media and I’m experiencing a totally different and free life.
Read MoreI grew up thinking that I am not beautiful. And as a girl in her early teens, it hit me a lot. I am brown and people of my region think only a fair color is beautiful. My mother is extremely fair and people would look at her and look at me and then they'd make a face that depicts how sorry they feel for me. It took me a lot of time to realize that I am beautiful in my own skin color and I don't have to change it.
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I am multi-talented, which isn't always a good thing because no one tells you what to focus on per time. So, I had issues with focus. My mind couldn't concentrate on a project, my hands wouldn't finish a written piece before my feet would start to dance to another heart tune but I needed to breathe and do stuff one step at a time. In doing things one step at a time, I found how to stay focus. I found strength to stick with a thing and see it through. Most importantly, I found how these series of talents, fit like pieces in a puzzle.
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I’m from Jammu and Kashmir, a place where there is bloodshed everyday. But besides that, the society I live in is male dominated, women who work independently are a topic for wonderful gossip here! Girls are limited to household work so business here for a girl or going out and walking shoulder to shoulder with men is very hard…
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I would like the world to know that I am a proud single mother. I am proud I kept that child. Single motherhood is not a plague, is not a crime, and does not stop me from fulfilling my life’s purpose. As a matter of fact, as a single mother, I am just getting started. As a single mother, I can still pursue my dream to the highest peak, which I have even started.
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Being the only female in my year group to specialize in farm mechanization and engineering, I’d like to entreat young girls to persevere and focus more on their books. Yes, people will try to put the fear of science courses into you but know that they are but suggestions. I always say that, if it is to be, it is up to us an individuals.
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What's your definition of success? For me, success isn’t all about money and riches. It’s about feeling a sense of achievement, relief and accomplishment. It’s about doing something that you always wanted to do in your life. Most people end up living a stressed life because they don’t follow their passion and interest. If you are able to successfully turn your passion into your job/business, then you have achieved your goals.
Read MoreWhat would you like the world to know about YOU? What life experience, challenge or achievement do you want to share? What obstacles have you faced and overcome? Well, I am a 16 year old student and there is this particular experience I want to talk about. Every woman isn't the same, and I was still learning to fight against the cruel world at that point.
I took classes with a teacher and for some reason he always made me sit in the first bench. Slowly, I realised that the reason why he did that was to touch my hands and thighs. I, of course, didn't like it. But I am not the only one he did that to. But being a 16 year old girl, with no one to guide me and the others, we could never stand up against him. So we resorted to sitting in the last benches. Or told our male friends to sit beside us. After a while, thankfully he stopped.
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What's your definition of success? Success shouldn’t be just defined by the number of zeros on your pay chèque or the number of cars you have. Success, especially when you a woman, is being able to be content and happy with what you are doing with your talents. Self-love, self-respect and self-determination also count as success. Once you have achieved these two, the rest should fall into place.
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In my country, people believe there are certain jobs that are too complex for women such as web development, graphic design and tech related jobs. They believe women should be reduced to selling in the market only.
Personally, I'm a graphic designer…. I just graduated from college and I decided to become a graphic designer. I asked my father to help me get someone to learn from. He refused and said it was a masculine thing. I had to struggle to learn on my own via the internet. Getting clients hasn't been so easy too, as many believe I won't do a good job compared to a man.
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What would you like the world to know about YOU? What life experience, challenge or achievement do you want to share? What obstacles have you faced and overcome? Education and skills can help you to live like a pro if you use both. The belief in one digit "zero" - this is your challenge and that "zero" will let you know your value. Financial issues and social norms were the biggest obstacles for me but I overcame with my consistency and handwork.
Read MoreWhat does life as a woman or girl look like in your country / city / town / village? Any issues / challenges / exciting milestones? Girls/ women in this country are independent. We are like warriors who take life by the neck, never giving up and always with high hopes.
Read MoreWhat would you like the world to know about YOU? What life experience, challenge or achievement do you want to share? What obstacles have you faced and overcome? I met someone and I loved him a lot. He did too… I mean that's what I thought. He was my first love. I've done many sacrifices for him. Anyway, days passed. We were about to get married. I prepared everything. I told my whole family and I was as happy as a baby…
Read MoreSexual harassment and rape are very common issues in our country. There is so much sexual harassment happening, especially in public transports. It’s not safe for a girl to go to a place alone even at daytime. Because of that our freedom is very limited here. We can’t experience things, go out to places like the girls in other countries do most of the time. Girls are always judged by the clothes they wear, the way they act or talk, the way they behave with their boyfriend, that kind of stuff. Society expects us to be something that most of us are not.
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What would you like the world to know about YOU? What life experience, challenge or achievement do you want to share? My parents got divorced at age 2. At 12 years of age, I had to become a house-help to people my parents had no idea about, but in all I did not give up. My dad who was my only hope also died when I want just entering high school but I didn’t lose hope. I pressed hard. I now work at a savings and loans company.
Read MoreThere's much worse but sexism is still real. People just don't always realize it's there and when this happens it feels awful. You have to elect someone and most of the time it's always a man. I don't think my school has ever had a female student representative in the school council, and this happens in little things as much as in more relevant ones.
Read MoreAt 12, my school principal told me that my shorts were a disturbance to my male teachers who were all at least 40 years of age and that I should never wear them again. At 14, a grown man followed me home and tried to push my house door open. That is the true experience of a Moroccan girl yet my stories aren't even as bad as it gets. Must I speak of the girls that were raped and forced to marry their rapists? Must I speak of the girls that were raped, murdered and decapitated? Must I speak of the women who are abused and beaten by their husbands? Must I speak of the women that are raped by their husbands but forced to believe that it is okay just because they are their husbands? Must I speak of the young girls that are forced to marry men 4 times their ages by their parents? Must I speak of the young maids that are regularly beaten by their bosses and forced to give their hard earned money to parents that don't care about them? Must I speak of the young girls that are kidnapped and raped on their way to school?
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