Perspectives on agency from adolescent girls in Feni, Bangladesh

• In Event: From surviving to thriving: Participatory research with and for girls’ agency in marginalized communities across Africa and Asia

Proposal

This study presents findings from two years of participatory research with adolescent girls in Feni District, Bangladesh. Girls in Feni described agency as having a voice, expressing themselves, making decisions, and accessing support from others. Education emerged as a key factor, building confidence, communication skills, and assertiveness. However, while digital education initiatives are growing globally, girls in rural Bangladesh often lack access to devices, internet, and digital literacy, limiting their ability to exercise agency in a digital era. Families were central; female role models and emotional encouragement enabled agency, while restrictions from relatives often limited it. Fathers and male relatives played decisive roles in major life choices. Social and cultural norms, particularly those surrounding early marriage, combined with systemic challenges such as poverty, climate change, and forced migration, shaped and often restricted girls’ opportunities for agency. Despite restrictions, some girls demonstrated resilience by forming peer support networks and leveraging mobile phones discreetly for education and information, signaling how agency is negotiated even under constraints.

To strengthen girls’ autonomy, the study calls for coordinated efforts at multiple levels: empowering girls directly, engaging families and peers, mobilizing educators and community leaders, supporting activists and program implementers, and ensuring policymakers and funders address structural barriers. The Feni case also explores the need to integrate gender-responsive climate adaptation strategies, inclusive digital education programs, and engage fathers and male relatives in gender-transformative programming.

Author

• Nasrin Siddiqa, Education and Cultural Society