For a long time, the term “women’s rights” unsettled me. I kept wondering: why not human rights? Why should women need a separate category to be treated as human? Growing up in Bangladesh, that question became harder to ignore. I saw expectations placed on women that were treated as normal, even when they restricted their choices.
Whenever I heard something unfair, I argued with family and friends. For a while, I believed people might change. By 18, I understood that the problem was deeper than individual opinions. It extended to women’s financial independence, support, and freedom of choice. I wanted to do more than argue, so I started an e-learning initiative to help women develop income-generating skills and explored building a women-led community where they could support one another against discrimination.
Trying to build those ideas taught me something harder: caring deeply about a problem did not mean I knew how to solve it. I lacked the experience needed for lasting change. That realization shaped my decision to study abroad on scholarship. I wanted experiences that would challenge me, strengthen me, and prepare me for problems I was not ready to face. I still feel halfway there. I left because I knew I needed to become stronger first. I want to return better equipped to face the problem that pushed me to leave.
I left because I knew I needed to become stronger first.
— Mayesha Maliha Proma