BY ELLIE CONSTANTINOU
Today is International Day of the Girl. A day exclusively dedicated to the younger members of nearly half of the human population. When I originally wrote that previous sentence, I used the word ‘celebrating’, because personally, I believe that the life of a girl, woman or person is one to be celebrated.
However the real purpose of International Day of the Girl - and one that is much more important - is to bring to light the unequal opportunities, the disadvantages and the discrimination that young girls face, all around the world.
There are nearly 1.1 billion girls in the world today. That means 1.1 billion opportunities for the world to drive change and see progress. Over a billion minds full of potential; full of ideas, creativity, energy, and most importantly - power. However, many of these girls are quickly disappearing from public awareness and we are forgetting the responsibility we have in terms of establishing an international development agenda that helps every girl.
Many forms of feminism are alive today. Of course, campaigning for equal workplace rights and equal pay is very much important in the world we live in today. However, UNICEF reports that every 10 minutes, a young girl living somewhere around the world, dies as a result of violence. The number of gender-based violence increases in times of humanitarian emergencies, including cases of sexual and physical violence, exploitation and trafficking, and child marriage.
Forget workplace equality. These girls are not being given equal opportunities to survive.
In Malawi, every other girl is married before the age of 18. Hitting puberty indicates that a young girl is ready for marriage, and next steps usually mean dropping out of school to marry and starting a family.
750 million women and girls alive today were married before their 18th birthday.
The Education for All Global Monitoring Report reports that adolescent girls in zones of conflict are 90% more likely to be out school in comparison to young girls in conflict-free countries. Simply put, young girls around the world are unable to attend school and receive the same education that we often take for granted, because they’re in places of conflict.
These girls aren’t the ones creating conflict.
These girls are being placed at a disadvantage because of wars created by others. Facing violence and danger, because of others. They are the future of 50% of the population, yet they are having to compromise their future prospects in terms of their lives, work and financial independence.
These girls are collateral damage.
It might not seem like we can do anything to help. Often we’re miles away from the situation and it feels like there’s nothing that we can do. However, acknowledging the discrimination that girls face and showing support for their empowerment, is a call for a social and political revolution. It calls for the breakdown of barriers set up to limit girls. It creates the equal opportunities that seem to have not been granted to half of our population, for no real reason at all.
Today, on International Day of the Girl, girls will take over the positions of over 600 leaders in 60 different countries as a display of their power and potential. Around the world, girls will take on the roles of presidents, mayors, head teachers, business leaders and many more, to show that girls everywhere should be free to dream, lead and believe that they can make a change.
“We cannot succeed when half of us are held back” - Malala Yousafzai
Acknowledge your privilege and spread awareness of the social and political movement that is so necessary for women everywhere.
#InternationalDayoftheGirl
[Photo: UNDP India]
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