I have personal experience of the huge gap between how girls’ and boys’ rights are respected. In my house there are six of us. As I’m the only girl the hardest tasks are left to me. None of my four brothers help with housework. Besides going to school, I have also worked as a nanny, looking after a five-year-old child. It was a very difficult period. Occasionally, I didn’t have time to eat lunch because I worried about leaving my house tidy for my mother. She always comes home from work so tired. When I ask my brothers to help me with the chores, they refuse. Sometimes they even get angry when I ask for help.”
Kethelin Jenyffer, 12, São José dos Campos, Brazil