My Life, My Right

International Day of the Girl Child

Today marks the first anniversary of the International Day of the Girl Child. It was declared by the United Nations on December 19, 2011 that Oct 11 will be dedicated to girls to support more opportunities for them and increase awareness of inequality faced by them worldwide because of their gender. This inequality spreads across areas such as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, protection from discrimination, violence and child marriage.

This year the theme for girl child day is to focus on “Innovating for Girls’ Education”. The fulfillment of girls’ right to education is first and foremost an obligation and a moral imperative. There is also overwhelming evidence that girls’ education, especially at the secondary level, is a powerful transformative force for societies and girls themselves. It is the one consistent positive determinant of practically every desired development outcome, from reductions in mortality and fertility, to poverty reduction and equitable growth, to social norm change and democratisation.

While there has been significant progress in improving girls’ access to education over the last two decades, many girls, particularly the most marginalised, continue to be deprived of this basic right. Girls in many countries are still unable to attend school and complete their education due to safety-related, financial, institutional and cultural barriers. Even when girls are in school, perceived low returns from poor quality of education, low aspirations, or household chores and other responsibilities keep them from attending school or from achieving adequate learning outcomes. The transformative potential for girls and societies promised through girls’ education is yet to be realised.

Recognising the need for fresh and creative perspectives to propel girls’ education forward, the 2013 International Day of the Girl Child will now only address the importance of new technology, but also innovation in partnerships, policies, resource utilisation, community mobilisation, and most of all, the engagement of young people themselves.

All UN agencies, Member States, civil society organisations, and private sector actors have potential tools to innovate for and with girls to advance their education. Examples of possible steps include:

• Improved public and private means of transportation for girls to get to school—from roads, buses, mopeds, bicycles to boats and canoes;

• Collaboration between school systems and the banking industry to facilitate secure and convenient pay delivery to female teachers and scholarship delivery to girls;

• Provision of science and technology courses targeted at girls in schools, universities and vocational education programmes;

• Corporate mentorship programmes to help girls acquire critical work and leadership skills and facilitate their transition from school to work;

• Revisions of school curricula to integrate positive messages on gender norms related to violence, child marriage, sexual and reproductive health, and male and female family roles;

• Deploying mobile technology for teaching and learning to reach girls, especially in remote areas.

The International Day of the Girl Child gives people and organisations the opportunity to raise public awareness about the different types of discrimination and abuse that many girls around the world suffer from. Various events are held to showcase the work that people are doing to empower girls through active support and engagement with parents, families, and the wider community.