In this Post we will be looking at the history of international girl child’s day, the significance and benefits of international girl child’s day.
INTRODUCTION
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. Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion, including those directed at children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities. As entrepreneurs, innovators and initiators of global movements, girls are creating a world that is relevant for them and future generations. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2015, embody a roadmap for progress that is sustainable and leaves no one behind. 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.
HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL GIRL CHILD’S DAY
The International Day of Girls initiative began as a project of Plan International, a non-governmental organization that operates worldwide. The idea for an International Day of Observance and celebration grew out of Plan International’s Because I Am a Girl campaign, which raises awareness of the importance of nurturing girls globally and in developing countries in particular. Plan International representatives in Canada approached the Canadian federal government to seek to the coalition of supporters raised awareness of the initiative internationally. Eventually, Plan International urged the United Nations to become involved. International Day of Girls was formally proposed as a resolution by Canada in the United Nations General Assembly. Rona Ambrose, Canada’s Minister for the Status of Women, sponsored the resolution; a delegation of women and girls made presentations in support of the initiative at the 55th United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly voted to pass a resolution adopting October 11, 2012 as the inaugural International Day of Girls. The resolution states that the Day of Girls recognizes: the empowerment of and investment in girls, which are critical for economic growth, the achievement of all Millennium Development Goals, including the eradication of poverty and extreme poverty, as well as the meaningful participation of girls in decisions that affect them, are key in breaking the cycle of discrimination and violence and in promoting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights, and recognizing also that empowering girls requires their active participation in decision-making processes and the active support and engagement of their parents, legal guardians, families and care providers, as well as boys and men and the wider community. Each year’s Day of Girls has a theme; the first was “ending child marriage”, The second, in 2013, was “innovating for girls’ education”, the third, in 2014, was “Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence”, and the fourth, in 2015, was “The Power of Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030”. The 2016 theme was “Girls’ Progress = Goals’ Progress: What Counts for Girls”, the 2017 theme was “Empower Girls: Before, during and after crises”, and the theme for 2018 was “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force”. By 2013, worldwide, there were around 2,043 events for Day of Girls.
SIGNIFICANCE OF INTERNATIONAL GIRL CHILD’S DAY
Achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment is an integral part of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that UN member nations adopted in 2015. The International Day of the Girl Child holds the key to achieving this as empowering women and girls, who represent half of the world’s population, is crucial to accelerating sustainable development. Nations need to pledge to assist young girls to grow into empowered women, who have access to proper healthcare, skill-based learning facilities and equal opportunities in a world free from gender-based violence and discrimination. The objective of National Girl Child Day is to create awareness about the rights a girl owns and to give girls the opportunities like everyone else, also to support the girl child of the nation and remove gender-based biases. Another objective of celebrating this day is to promote awareness about the inequalities that a girl child faces and educate people about girl’s education. Basically, to value them and to respect them like everybody else and give a new perspective towards girl child and to decrease discrimination. The main focus is on changing society’s attitude towards girls, decrease female feticide and create awareness about the decreasing sex ratio. The objectives of the Scheme are as under:
- To prevent gender biased sex selective elimination
- To ensure survival and protection of the girl child
- To ensure education and participation of the girl child
BENEFITS OF INTERNATIONAL GIRL CHILD’S DAY.
- It recognizes that the meaningful participation of girls in decisions that affect their lives is the key to break the cycle of discrimination and violence and empower young ladies to become inspirited, free women of tomorrow.
- The day focuses on the rights, safety and education of girls. The core objective is to make girls an active part of the progress of the world.
- As part of the celebration, a theme is selected to highlight the need of the hour. This year, the theme has been set as “Digital generation. Our generation,” acknowledging the growing digital world and how a digital gap can also widen the gender gap.
- Access to education, healthcare services, skill-based learning facilities, equal opportunities, safeguards against gender-based violence and discrimination are common themes that are worked upon year after year. In accordance with this year’s theme “Digital generation. Our generation,” the focus is on bridging the digital divide.
- Various world leaders and UN agencies post wishes and messages on social media to mark the International Day of the Girl Child.