Empowering Girls Globally: International Day of the Girl Child, Gender Equality Advocacy, and the Journey to Fulfill Their Rights

On the International Day of the Girl Child, observed every year on October 11th, people from all over the world gather to commemorate and promote the rights and welfare of girls. The purpose of this day is to raise awareness of the difficulties that girls encounter and to encourage action to help them realize their full potential.

Significance 

The importance of the International Day of the Girl Child serves as a poignant reminder that girls’ rights are human rights. It calls attention to crucial topics like gender equality, educational opportunity, anti-discrimination protection, and opportunities for girls to succeed in all facets of life.

Theme

The International Day of the Girl Child in 2023 will have the subject “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-Being.” In order to establish a society where girls’ rights are respected and they also have a role in determining governmental policies, commercial practises, and research agendas. This theme emphasizes the need for global support and investment .

An Important Step for Girls’ Rights: The Beijing Declaration

A historic statement that acts as a guide for advancing the rights of women and young girls was accepted by nations as a whole in 1995 at the Beijing World Conference on Women. This document is known as the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. For the first time, a policy explicitly promoting the rights of girls was outlined in this one. The Beijing Declaration opened the door for global efforts to empower girls by reiterating the significance of gender equality.

The Journey to International Day of the Girl Child

The International Day of the Girl Child was established on October 11 by Resolution 66/170, which was approved by the United Nations General Assembly on the 19th of December 2011. This designation aims to affirm girls’ rights and to acknowledge the particular difficulties that girls confront around the world.

 How to Honour the International Day for Girls

Support programmes that aim to give girls equitable access to schooling to further education. A strong weapon for empowerment is education.

Raise Awareness: Inform others about the difficulties that girls encounter, including child marriage, gender-based abuse, and a lack of access to healthcare.

Encourage and take part in activities that advance gender equality and the eradication of gender bias as a champion for this cause.

Contribute to organisations and initiatives that aim to improve the lives of girls and young women by supporting them.

Boost Girls’ Voices: Encourage girls to speak up and be heard every day, not just on this special day. Change requires hearing from them.

The part we all play

In the words of UN Secretary-General António Guterres, “Women and girls can lead us to a fairer future.” In order to do this, we must raise the voices of girls and reaffirm our commitment to working together to create a world where all girls can succeed.

A call to action is made on the International Day of the Girl Child. It serves as a reminder of the enormous potential that each girl possesses as well as our shared obligation to nurture that potential. Together, let’s build a world where girls’ rights are upheld and their aspirations could come true.

Empowering through Financial Planning: Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY)

The Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana (SSY) is a potent weapon for safeguarding a girl’s future. A government-sponsored savings programme called SSY seeks to advance the educational and financial security of females. Parents can take a big step towards protecting their daughter’s educational goals and financial future by opening an SSY account. The programme offers reasonable interest rates, tax advantages, and a 15-year contribution window. It’s an investment in their hopes and dreams, making sure they have all they need to succeed.

Article by Debanjana Talukdar

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