Go Straight Home

Reba is 14 years old and lives with her family in Dhaka. Her family is not amongst the poorest, but neither the richest. Reba is often harassed by groups of boys who shout after her on her way to school, and sometimes strange men will follow her, making her feel very uncomfortable. She loves going to school but reading in newspapers about acid attacks and women being raped on the streets scares her.

When school is finished for the day, Reba’s mum tells her to “look down, talk to no one, and go straight home”. But Reba doesn’t want to go straight home, she wants to go wherever she likes. In Reba’s school class, four girls have already been married even though it’s illegal in Bangladesh before the age of eighteen. Reba’s family might have to marry her off too if they can’t afford her education. Her mother wants her to continue her studies and get an education that wasn’t possible for herself. Reba wants that too. Life is at stake for Reba.