A countrywide youth campaign began Monday ahead of International Women's Day 2022 as fear of violence prevents women, especially girls, from achieving their potential.

International development organisation Plan International Bangladesh and national development organisation Jaago Foundation jointly launched the campaign "Challenging Fear of Violence" to bring the youths of the country together.

The campaign was launched in the capital.

Kashfia Feroz, director of girls' rights, Shemonty Monjari, campaign manager of Plan International Bangladesh; Korvi Rakshand, founder of Jaago, and Esha Farooque, assistant director of operations, were present.

Kashfia said: "We started collecting evidence-based information from different ends of the country and were commissioned to analyse policy and budget for further advocacy initiatives," said Kashfia. 

Among 12,000 survey participants, 81.6 percent of females experienced harassment in public places.

And 86.8 percent of women and girls said they were victims of harassment in their households.

Around 74 percent of female students said they faced verbal abuse from their teachers and senior students. 

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Some 57 percent of participants said they were harassed online and 56 percent mentioned sexual harassment at their workplaces. 

Fear of violence came up very strongly from their end, limiting their potential and restricting their mobility, Kashfia said.

Also, the study revealed that many parents feel discouraged to send their daughters to educational institutions or let them participate in sports or picnics and even for private tuitions.

Korvi said, "We want a society in which every place is a safe space for people of all genders."