Anita (9) hardly finds the scope to play after school, as her parents don’t allow her to leave their home alone on the pretext of security concerns. She can only visit relatives during holidays. Such restrictions are negatively impacting her mental and emotional health. Neli’s (15) parents always emphasize good grades at school. Participation in creative activities or hanging out with friends is not encouraged by her parents. Neli often feels confined, bored, and lonely. Besides studying, Neli wants to explore new places and take up creative hobbies.  Rita (18) has self-esteem issues over her looks. Negative comments from relatives and neighbors about her appearance are only making it worse.  After completing her master's degree, Zerin (25) wants to focus on her career. But her family wants her to stay home and carry out duties traditionally associated with women. Read More: Brave Women Freedom Fighters of Bangladesh’s 1971 Liberation War These scenarios are not uncommon for girls and women in Bangladesh. Parents often try to limit the liberty and potential of girls due to a range of issues, like insecurity, social prejudice, traditional mindset, etc.  How can we address this situation? “Nothing in life is to be feared; it is only to be understood. Now is the time to understand more so that we may fear less,” according to Marie Curie, the first woman to win a Nobel Prize. In the twenty-first century, women are participating and taking on leadership roles in health, science, sports, technology, commerce, business, education, agriculture, politics, law enforcement etc.  What is the secret to raising strong girls who can defeat fears and develop themselves as confident, happy, and independent persons? Set positive examples for your girls Parents should be cautious about their impact on their daughters. Every mother or father who wants to raise a strong daughter should first try to set good examples. When daughters discover great qualities like honesty, kindness, hard work, perseverance, confidence, etc in their parents, they try to emulate those qualities and develop their personalities accordingly. Read More: 10 Greatest Female Scientists of All Time Demonstrate the value of inner beauty In today’s world, many girls and women become prey to the marketing strategies of the beauty industry. Many girls tend to suffer from inferiority complexes due to their skin complexion, height, weight, and many more reasons. They waste time, effort, and money in the race to meet the social standards of beauty.  Parents need to teach their daughters the value of inner beauty instead of focusing on physical beauty. Introducing daughters to successful women of substance can help them in this regard. Read More: Jute Sanitary Napkins: Bangladeshi scientist Farhana Sultana got awarded for eco-friendly innovation Living with disabilities  According to WHO, about 16% of the total population on earth has some kind of disability. In Bangladesh, many parents fail to equip their children born with disabilities — physical or intellectual — the skills needed to live a fulfilling life. If a child has some kind of inability or limitations, like a learning disability or physical disability, the parents should try to accept it and encourage their daughter to overcome the barrier.   Read More: OWSD-Elsevier Foundation Award: Bangladesh's Gawsia among top women climate scientists Not limiting her potential  To raise a confident girl, parents should remove the words “that’s for boys” from their vocabulary. Women are exploring careers in diverse sectors that were previously associated with men. If a young girl is told that some professions and tasks are suited only for men, she gets a message of inequality. Such way of thinking can make her emotionally weak and destroy her potential.  When a girl gets mental support for following her dreams, she will never give up. Parents need to encourage their daughters to explore their opportunities. Praising her success will also help her feel unique.  Read More: “Icchedana”: A drama series on girls triumphing over gender stereotypes, social restrictions

A Gaibandha woman was denied entry to home on Thursday reportedly by her in-laws as she gave birth to a baby girl.

An estimated 500,000 more girls are at the risk of being forced into child marriage globally and as many as one million more are expected to become pregnant in 2020 as a result of the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, a study from the Save the Children revealed the information.