What is Day of the Girl?
In December of 2011, the United Nations General Assembly officially declared October 11 as International Day of the Girl Child, or more simply known as International Day of the Girl. Since then, October 11 has been honored around the world as a monumental day to call attention to the injustices that young girls experience across the globe while all celebrating the achievements and the progress that has been made to advance gender equality.
While for most it may seem easy to understand the meaning behind International Day of the Girl, it’s important to understand the full context. There are 1.1 billion girls in the world. That means, 1.1 billion minds of intelligence, hearts of compassion, and lives of potential. However, lack of opportunity, inadequate investment, and inequality create a world in which girls are deprived of their basic human rights and a world that never really reaches its full potential because of it.
According to UN Women, 12 million girls will be married before the age of 18 and 21 million will be pregnant as teens in developing countries. Millions of other young girls will be denied access to education, technology, healthcare, and basic fairness and rights in day-to-day life. These issues, among others, stand at the forefront of what International Day of the Girl was designed to bring attention to with the belief that awareness, advocacy, and action can create change.
Awareness, Advocacy and Action
Although there are still significant strides to be made to improve the livelihood and rights of girls, movements like International Day of the Girl make a significant difference and there are numerous ways to get involved to help empower girls everywhere.
To start, check out the United Nations, UN Women, and the UNICEF Gender Equality websites. This year’s theme for the special day is “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force” and those organizations offer helpful resources, information, or mentions of related events.
Share an inspiring post on social media or even consider hosting your own event. Big or small, every voice and action counts.
Let’s stand together this October 11 as we look to empower the 1.1 billion girls across the world that inspire us all.
GET INVOLVED FOR DAY OF THE GIRL
Show your support for Day of the Girl by helping spread the word about the Dream It, Be It program, which empowers girls to reach their education and career goals.
Plus, get a free guide: 3 Simple Steps to Free Yourself From Stress.SPREAD THE WORD
Kiara Hall is a proud millennial and a firm believer in the power of storytelling to share knowledge, inspire ideas, and foster change. Passionate about the discussion of social, economic, and political issues on a national and global scale—especially those relating to women and girls—she’s a blossoming writer that aspires to create meaningful content to contribute to that space.