The celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child is held on the 11th of October annually. The date was declared by the United Nations in 2011 and the mission is “to help galvanize worldwide enthusiasm for goals to better girls’ lives, providing an opportunity for them to show leadership and reach their full potential.”
All over the world, Girls face discrimination and violence every day. 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.
It is important to pay serious attention to the girl child because they are key factors in the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. They hold the future of the world within them. When girls do better, we all do better.
The theme of this year’s celebration is “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision 2030.” The potential of the adolescent girls is threatened by unwanted pregnancy, forced early marriage,
gender-based violence and limited access to
higher education and reproductive health services.
In his statement to mark this year’s international day, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon notes: “Our task now is to get to work on meeting the SDG targets and making good on our promises to give girls all the opportunities they deserve as they mature to adulthood by 2030.”
It is the responsibility of every one, as Global citizens to ensure that the girl child realize their potential. Stop the discrimination and violence against them, protect them and give them quality education.
African Youth Corner 