INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD
OCTOBER-11
The International Day
of the Girl Child is observed every year on October 11 to raise awareness about
the challenges girls face and promote their rights, equality and opportunities.
Declared by the United Nations in 2011, the day highlights the importance of
education, healthcare, safety and equal opportunities for every girl.An
educated and empowered girl can become a confident woman who contributes to her
family, society and nation. Let us break barriers, encourage dreams and ensure
every girl has the freedom to choose her future.The Day of the Girl Child is
celebrated on October 11th to empower girls and amplify their voices. The theme
for 2023 is "Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership, Our
Well-Being." UNICEF will reaffirm its commitment to supporting girls and
protecting their rights on this day.
According to a
statement by the United Nations, "Responding to girls' calls for change,
the global community must move beyond reaffirming commitments and invest boldly
in the action needed to make that change. When we pay attention, we see that,
already, many girls are championing solutions and change in their
communities."United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized
the importance of investing in girls' leadership to help them achieve their goals
and advance gender equality "Women and girls can lead us to a fairer
future. Let us amplify girls' voices and recommit to working together to build
a world where every girl can lead and thrive," he said.In 1995, at the
World Conference on Women in Beijing, countries unanimously adopted the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action-the most progressive blueprint ever for
advancing the rights of not only women but girls. The Beijing Declaration is
the first to specifically call out girls' rights.
On December 19, 2011,
the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare
October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls'
rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.The International
Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges
girls face and to promote girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human
rights. Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life,
not only during these critical formative years but also as they mature into
women.If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the
potential to change the world-both as the empowered girls of today and as
tomorrow's workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and
political leaders.An investment in realizing the power of adolescent girls
upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future,
one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of
climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and
global sustainability.Achieving gender equality and women's empowerment is
integral to each of the 17 goals. Only by ensuring the rights of women and
girls across all the goals will we get to justice and inclusion, economies that
work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future
generations.Every girl should have the opportunity to learn, grow safely and
shape her own future. Ending child marriage protects those opportunities and
addresses the barriers that limit girls’ choices. We must also invest in their
education, wellbeing, safety and opportunities to lead.The day aims to
highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting
girls' empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. The world’s 1.1
billion girls are a source of power, energy, and creativity – and the millions
of girls in emergencies are no exception. This year’s International Day of the
Girl, under the theme EmPOWER Girls: Before, during and after crises, marks the
beginning of a year-long effort to spur global attention and action to the
challenges and opportunities girls face before, during, and after crises.
Prof. John Kurakar
