International Day of the Girl
A blog from our Youth Advisory Board
Ahead of International Day of the Girl, members of the UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK)’s Youth Advisory Board have written a blog – calling for all girls’ rights to be respected and for their voices to be heard.
This year, Sunday 11th October marks International Day of the Girl. Fantastic, right? This particular day is all about trying to raise the voices of the world’s young women, when sometimes those voices are not particularly welcome or wanted.
All over the world, the voices and experiences of young women are erased because of their sex and harmful gender norms. For example, 200 million girls and women alive today across the world have already undergone some form of female genital mutilation (FGM) as a result of harmful social norms, beliefs and practices.
Article 2 of the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) states that every child in the world must benefit from their basic rights without discrimination, and Article 13 says that every child is able to express their thoughts and opinions freely. Article 12 also states that all children have the right for their views to be heard and respected – yet so many young women across the world are having their rights ignored.
However change is happening – gender inequality is a huge, complex, and incredibly important issue, and a massive priority for UNICEF.
I want every girl to know that her voice can change the world
Amazing young women across the globe are standing up for their rights and taking action to protect their futures. For example, a team of women in Afghanistan are fighting polio and gender stereotypes by vaccinating children against polio.
The Techno Girls project in South Africa helps young women to realise their potential and give them a leg-up into a career in STEM.
The incredible Marley Dias, at just 11 years old, has launched ‘1000 Black Girl Books’, encouraging more diverse books to be introduced to American schools. See? Girls don’t simply sit back and cope with inequality – they fight back, becoming changemakers, activists and community heroes!
The solution to girls rights issues is the girls themselves; raising the voices of young women in these situations is where we come in.
Young women are essential for the advancement of, well, everything. They are capable of so much more than they are given credit for, and deserve to have their worth respected, their rights acknowledged, and their voices heard. We truly believe that all girls can reclaim their freedoms, and we will support them in any way we can. We want every girl to know that she can lead change. We want every girl to know that her voice can change the world.
Written by Niamh and Eddie, members of the UNICEF UK Youth Advisory Board.
Read on for more information:
About UNICEF’s work on gender equality
