18/11/2025
In some cultures, girls are still treated unequally to boys and the consequences run deep. When women are conditioned to prioritise their sons over their daughters, a cycle of inequality continues within the very place meant to offer safety: the family.
Boys grow up entitled without even realising it, never given the chance to fully develop empathy or compassion. Girls grow up learning to fend for themselves, carrying wounds that shape their relationships, their sense of self, and their futures.
As we approach the 16 Days of Activism, I reflect on the culture I grew up in, one where controlling and coercive behaviours are normalised, divorce rates are among the highest in the world, and insecure attachment becomes a common reality.
Discrimination within families is not just harmful it is abhorrent. And as Nelson Mandela so powerfully said, “There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.”
It’s time to break the cycle. It’s time to choose equity, compassion, and safety for every child, in every home.
