Today, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child!
The theme for 2023’s International Day of the Girl Child is 'Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being. UNICEF shares that “this year, at a time when we are seeing a range of movements and actions to curtail girls’ and women’s rights and roll back progress on gender equality, we see particularly harsh impacts on girls. From maternal health care and parenting support for adolescent mothers, to digital and life skills training; from comprehensive sexuality education to survivor support services and violence prevention programmes; there is an urgent need for increased attention and resourcing for the key areas that enable girls to realize their rights and achieve their full potential.
As a result of these patriarchal dynamics playing out at every level – from formal policymaking institutions to community norms, family behaviours, and individual attitudes – we see stark ways in which girls are left behind across multiple dimensions.” For example:
Nearly 1 in 5 girls are still not completing lower-secondary and nearly 4 in 10 girls are not completing upper-secondary school today. And in certain regions, the numbers are even more dismal. Around 90 percent of adolescent girls and young women do not use the internet in low-income countries, while their male peers are twice as likely to be online.
Globally, girls aged 5-14 spend 160 million more hours every day on unpaid care and domestic work than boys of the same age. This unequal distribution in unpaid work intensifies in adolescence with serious implications for girls’ well-being.
Meeting adolescent girls’ demands for family planning with modern methods has been slow, increasing from 55% to 60% since 2012. This means that 4 in 10 adolescent girls aged 15-19 who want to avoid pregnancy are not using a modern method, and teenage pregnancy is a leading cause of mortality for adolescent girls.
Nearly 1 in 4 married/partnered adolescent girls aged 15-19 have experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner at least once in their lifetime.
Ways to get involved:
Share human interest stories, blogs and videos of girl changemakers, and the inspiring networks and organizations that are resourcing girls, letting girls lead, and strengthening services for girls. Let’s collectively amplify their leadership, actions, and impact to inspire others.
Engage government officials, policymakers and stakeholders to make more targeted investments that tackle inequalities experienced by girls, especially while accessing mental health and psychosocial support services in the face of conflict, forced migration, natural disasters, and the effects of climate change.
Engage key female influencers across industries to be the face of change we want girls to see as possible. Role models speak a thousand words. Let’s change the global conversation and public perception of girl leaders.
Amplify your commitment to raising awareness about and addressing factors that hold girls in your country and region back.
UNICEF shares that “girls are ready for a decade of acceleration forward. It is time for us all to stand accountable – with and for girls – and to invest in a future that believes in their agency, leadership and potential.”
A Call to Action:
Letting girls lead by putting girls in the forefront of change efforts, hearing their voices, responding to their asks, and welcoming them in decision-making spaces.
Resources for girls, including the networks and organizations that support their education and prioritize their mental and physical well-being.
Strengthening services for girls at all times but especially in crisis response and recovery
Here are 3 ways you can celebrate International Day of the Girl Child today:
1) Spend some time learning more about the issues facing girls around the world HERE
2) Donate to a nonprofit working to break down everyday barriers to education and empower girls! Some of our favorites are Days for Girls, Malala Fund, and Girls, Inc. What nonprofit organizations inspire you?
3) Inspire girls to BE and DO anything by introducing them to 9 fearless female role models who have changed the world. Download our FREE PAPER DOLLS featuring 9 women who have changed the world HERE.
At GIRLS CAN! CRATE, we believe that girls are powerful and the best way to change the world is to empower girls. On this day, we celebrate the strides made towards social justice and greater access to opportunity, we celebrate the female trailblazers and the pioneers who have overcome tremendous obstacles to change the world in every single field and show girls what is possible, and we celebrate every single girl who makes the world better just by being in it. Our hope is that in the years to come we can achieve a world in which girls can be girls fearlessly, and free of oppression, violence, and every other thing that would hold them back from reaching their full potential.
Happy International Day of the Girl Child from all of us at GIRLS CAN! CRATE!
GIRLS CAN! CRATE is a toolkit for future world changers 6-10 years old that inspires them to be and do anything by introducing fearless female role models. Together, we can show girls they can! Learn more at girlscancrate.com.