International Day of the Girl Child? One might wonder if that is really necessary, a day to promote the rights and opportunities of girls around the world. After all, there is no International day of the Boy Child either, right? However, besides International Women’s Day (annually on March 8), it is also necessary to have a day to focus attention on young girls, who in 2024 are still discriminated against simply because they are girls.
Plan International and International Day of the Girl Child
A new generation of girls has emerged.
A generation setting change in motion. And we can help them do so. Girl by girl.
Give her a voice, and she will make it heard.
Give her a stage and she will show herself.
Give her opportunities and she will make a difference.
Give her wings and she will fly. Give girls a life of their own. Let them learn. Let them lead.
Because a world where no one is left behind is a world moving forward.
(Plan International)
Plan International is clear. Girls’ rights are important for the advancement of all and girls will get those rights. Because they too deserve a life of their own.
International Day of the Girl was declared by Plan International at the United Nations in 2012. Since 1983, Plan International has been striving for a better future for all children, with an extra focus on girls rights.
Equal opportunities are central, for both boys and girls, so that every child can simply be a child, regardless of their gender.
After all, discrimination between men and women is prohibited by the Gender Act. Every year, Plan International sets up a global research project on the position of girls with regard to a particular theme. Some examples of such themes are: “end child marriage”, “girls get equal” and “our time is now – our rights, our future”.
Challenges for girls
On October 11, all girls are honoured, and attention is drawn to the rights and opportunities that young girls often lack. These include educational opportunities, gender inequality, child marriage, violence against girls, etc. By establishing an International Day of the Girl Child, Plan International, together with the United Nations, aims to raise awareness to these challenges and come up with creative solutions together to promote equal opportunities. Equal opportunities are always desirable for everyone, not just girls. The motto ‘Girls first’ serves to signal that investing in girls, for example by offering education, can actually change the world. In fact, research shows that girls’ education and development are linked to a country’s economic and social development.
Kiara de Prest
