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My name is Pattrisiya. I’m 22 years old and I live in Rajagiriya, Colombo, Sri Lanka. I have two younger sisters and one elder brother. My mother is a housewife and my father is a labourer. I passed the O/L exam (high school exam). Our culture here in Sri Lanka does much to disturb women’s freedom. I have experience of that.

If I ask my mother if I can do a job, she will never give me permission because she thinks “neighbours will make bad comments about you. It’s not good for your future life”. For this reason, I have not had the chance to work.

My elder brother has a job. No one makes any comments about him. He is working and he is going out to do his personal business, and it is no problem to anyone.

Why are these things happening? Because I am a girl. That’s why these things are happening. This culture doesn’t give a chance for me to develop my talents because I’m a girl. When these things change, that day we can live in freedom.