Same rights, but boys still get priority 

At the Surjer alo Child center in southern Bangladesh, 16-year-old Ayesha Akter and 15-year-old Preema Das participate in the children's club activities. Here they have learned about children's rights and practiced expressing their feelings, needs and opinions. 16-year-old Ayesha tells us:

- Before, I couldn't talk to my parents at all, but it's better now. Now they hear me and my opinion matters, that makes me happy.

Her friend Preema Das, 15, fills in:

- I used to be shy and no one in my family knew what was going on or what I was going through. I often felt overlooked, especially when my brothers got more attention than me. It's better now but it's still very unequal.

Lack of sanitary protection and clean toilets has been a problem

The girls are almost finished with secondary school and both dream of studying further. Keeping up with school has been tough. They both go to a government school and the lack of sanitary pads and clean toilets has been a problem ever since they started menstruating. Preema tells us:

- In the past, we and our mothers used clothes as protection.

- Yes, there were. There weren't always pads or other protection, so we used clothes, but it was unhygienic in many ways. Now we can buy sanitary pads through the center for half the price, which makes it easier," says Ayesha.

Missing school due to menstruation

Both girls say that they have missed quite a lot of school due to being at home during periods of menstruation. 

- I used to stay at home for the whole period, but now I usually only stay at home for the first two or three days.

- To avoid missing too much, we try to study at home, but it's clear that people have made it harder to keep up," says Preema.

They dream of changing

They talk about life as a girl in Bangladesh, about everyday life and that they feel that although girls and boys should have the same rights, boys are often given priority.

- "Boys are more important in the family and they are always given priority in society and in school," says Preema.

- "Girls don't have the same rights as boys in practice," says Ayesha, citing an example of a particular dish in Bangladesh, where the head of the fig is considered the tastiest part. She continues:
- "My brother is always asked if he wants the fish head, I don't want the fish head but I would like to be asked," explains Ayesha.

Despite the challenges they face, the girls have clear goals. They want to work for the betterment of society and they want to be involved in changing their situation and that of others.

- Soon I will have a higher education than my brother. My mother supports me, she never got to study herself, so she wants me to have this opportunity," says Preema.