On October 11, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child, a day to raise awareness of the challenges girls face around the world and celebrate their achievements. The theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl is Investing in Girls’ Rights: Benefiting Our Leadership.
International Day of the Girl 2023: Check the facts and initiatives of the United Nations
International Day of the Girl is celebrated every year on October 11 to raise awareness of the unique challenges and opportunities facing girls around the world. It is also a day to celebrate the power of girls and their potential to change the world.
This day was established by the United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 2011 to recognize the rights of girls.
The UN mentions: “19. In December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 declaring October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize the rights of girls and the unique challenges girls face around the world.”
“The International Day of the Girl draws attention to the need to address the challenges girls face and promote the empowerment of girls and the fulfillment of their human rights.” is added.
The theme of the International Day of the Girl 2023 is “Invest in girls’ rights: our leadership, our well-being.” This theme focuses on the importance of girls’ rights and the need to ensure girls have equal opportunities to reach their full potential.
The theme also highlights the importance of investing in girls’ leadership and well-being. Girls are agents of change and leaders in their communities and need to be supported and empowered to reach their full potential. Investing in the leadership and well-being of girls is an investment in the future of our world.
What are the UN facts about the Day of the Girl?
Here are some facts about girls:
- Many girls do not finish school: Almost 1 in 5 girls do not finish high school, and almost 4 in 10 do not finish high school.
- Few girls in poor countries use the Internet: about 90% of girls in poor countries do not use the Internet, while boys are twice as likely to be online.
- Girls do a lot of unpaid work: Girls aged 5 to 14 spend 160 million more hours doing housework than boys of the same age.
- Girls are at risk of HIV: 3 out of 4 new HIV infections among young people occur in girls.
- Girls face violence: Almost 1 in 4 girls aged 15 to 19, who are married or in a relationship, have experienced physical or sexual violence from their partner.
- Risk of child marriage: Even before COVID-19, 100 million girls were at risk of child marriage. Now, due to the pandemic, up to 10 million more girls could face this risk in the next ten years.
United Nations International Day of Girls Initiatives
Here are some initiatives the United Nations is taking to invest in girls’ leadership:
- Provide girls with access to education and training. When girls have the opportunity to learn and develop their skills, they are more likely to become confident and effective leaders.
- Create opportunities for girls to participate in decision-making. This could include giving girls leadership roles in their schools, communities or organizations.
- Mentorship and sponsorship programs. Mentorship and sponsorship programs can provide girls with the support and guidance they need to develop their leadership skills and achieve their goals.
- Public awareness campaigns. Public awareness campaigns can help change social attitudes and expectations about girls’ leadership.
- Funding initiatives that support girls’ leadership. This could include funding for girls’ education, leadership training programs and mentoring programs.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education