International Day of the Girl Child 2020

Today, we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child!

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.

This year, the theme for International Day of the Girl Child is " My voice, our equal future.” Today, “let’s seize the opportunity to be inspired by what adolescent girls see as the change they want, the solutions- big and small- they are leading and demanding across the globe… As adolescent girls worldwide assert their power as change-makers, International Day of the Girl 2020 will focus on their demands to: 

You can learn more about the theme on the UNICEF website, the UN Women's website, Plan-International's website, or just by searching the Web for International Day of the Girl...there is loads of information out there.

Tremendous strides have been made worldwide towards greater gender equality and yet, there is still so much to be done! The UN says, “progress for adolescent girls has not kept pace with the realities they face today, and COVID-19 has reinforced many of these gaps.. For instance:

  • Worldwide, nearly 1 in 4 girls aged 15–19 years is neither employed nor in education or training compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age. By 2021 around 435 million women and girls will be living on less than $1.90 a day — including 47 million pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19.

  • 1 in 3 women worldwide have experienced physical or sexual violence. Emerging data shows that since the outbreak of COVID-19, violence against women and girls (VAWG), and particularly domestic violence, has INTENSIFIED.

  • At least 60% of countries still discriminate against daughters’ rights to inherit land and non-land assets in either law or practice.“  

Shocking, isn't it? It's hard to imagine these numbers and experiences in person because for most of us we're reading this from places like the U.S. or Canada where our girls don’t face these sorts of hardships. But, they do face other challenges as they relate to educational opportunities, over sexualization,  human trafficking, gender discrimination in the workplace, and more. We are not immune. 

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 empower girls worldwide! Some of our favorites are Days For Girls, Girls Are Not For Sale, The Malala Fund, and She's The First. 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. 

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 5-10 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.