2019-Sonali

Sonali

Nominated by Plan International Bangladesh

All 2019 Children’s Peace Prize Nominees

Sonali is a member of Girls Action Team in her school. Girls in rural areas used to go to school walking, which takes a long time, and sometimes they would be sexually harassed by abusers along the way. By being a member of Girls’ Action Team, Sonali received a lot of training and gained knowledge about children’s rights and girls’ rights. She realized that if girls go to school by bike, child marriage can be reduced and girls can enjoy their rights more. This is why she focused on motivating parents and girls in her community to ride bicycles. She also provided martial arts training to 150 girls in her school and her community. She also encourages 105 girls in her school and community to ride bikes. Girls riding bicycles turned into a social movement, sexual harassment has decreased and girls are now enjoying the rights of mobility. She herself stopped 21 child marriages.