12 Stories of Gender Justice in Bangladesh

THERE IS THE “BAREFOOT LAWYER” WHO FIGHTS INJUSTICE DOOR-TO-DOOR, and the wife—and husband—teams who turned around opinions about what equality means for women and men.

These and other gender justice pioneers are profiled in “Courage in the Heart,” a series of short films about young women in Bangladesh who are demanding greater rights for themselves.

The young women in these films all started out as survivors of human rights abuses, but today are educators, activists, and agents of change in their community. The “Courage in the Heart” project directly addresses the gender inequality of Bangladesh’s patriarchal social system, in which women have inferior status, and shows how empowered communities can improve women’s lives.

The stories you’ll hear demonstrate how far gender equality still has to go in places like Bangladesh.

Yet you’ll also see how education and community organizing can make a difference, especially in the poorest communities in the developing world.

The films were produced by BRAC, a development organization created and lead by Bangladeshis. BRAC works to alleviate poverty and promote gender justice and human rights in Asia, Africa, and Haiti.

Watch all the films and learn more at the project’s official site. More here about women fighting against gender violence.