International Day of the Girl Child
By: Sam Barrett
October 11th is International Day of the Girl Child! Day of the Girl Child was first made an international holiday by The United Nations General Assembly on December 19th, 2011, and is an opportunity for people across the world to recognize girl’s rights and the unique challenges they face everyday. Not only do women deserve the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, but young girls everywhere also deserve the same rights, respect, and opportunities for a bright future.
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action was unanimously adopted at the World Conference on Women in 1995. The Beijing Declaration is “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.” according to The United Nations. More recently, the Generation Equality movement has begun and works towards similar goals of equality for women and girls everywhere. Legislation like these gives young girls and women the opportunity to live in a more safe, educated, and equal world. International Day of the Girl Child is a great opportunity for people across the world to recognize this kind of legislation and what more we could be doing for the future of young girls everywhere.
Women and girls face struggles posed by stereotypes and exclusion every day. Here are some statistics from The United Nations related to young girls;
Worldwide, nearly 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 years are neither employed nor in education or training compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age. By 2021 around 435 million women and girls will be living on less than $1.90 a day — including 47 million pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19.
1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence. Emerging data shows that since the outbreak of COVID-19, violence against women and girls (VAWG), and particularly domestic violence, has intensified.
At least 60% of countries still discriminate against daughters’ rights to inherit land and non-land assets in either law or practice.
The young girls of today should not have to battle against the same social and economic boundaries that have been pegged against all women for years. In Indiana we have little to no legislation regarding consent, sexual assault, or rape. We also have little to no legislation in place for equal pay, and these are just some of the barriers that are holding women and girls back from living their lives freely, safely, and to their utmost potential. We are working towards creating a brighter future for girls across Indiana and the world! We stand for legislation like defining consent, equal pay for all Hoosiers no matter their gender, race, ethnicity, or religion, and more. We want to help young girls accomplish their big dreams by creating a more equal and safe Indiana. That is why today we celebrate Day of the Girl Child!
Today, many young Hoosier girls are sharing their dreams for the future, so make sure to check out all of their profiles to see the future women of Indiana! We would like to extend this opportunity for you to support some of these young girls and help in paving the way for their bright future. You can donate on their, or any special young girl’s, behalf! We appreciate all contributions. With a $100 donation or more we will send that important girl in your life a handwritten letter so they know the impact that they have on the lives around them and the positive future they are creating.
