International Day of the Girl Child is held on 11 October each year to highlight and draw attention to the issues challenges faced by girls. Focusing on their human rights and empowerment is also important.

International Day of the Girl Child has been celebrated every year since 2012. Its primary aim is to inspire women and help them to gain their rights so that they can face the problems around the world and meet their needs. Spreading consciousness of the elimination of gender abnormalities against girls around the world at the same time.

Why this day is celebrated?

International Day of the Girl celebrates recognize of girls and the particular problems faced by girls all over the world. As a global society, the day seeks to shed light on all the reasons why we need to overcome the obstacles, prejudices, threats, and injustices young girls face across the world, with a special emphasis on areas of the world where child marriage is generally practised, such as Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean, the Middle East, and North Africa.

International Day of the Girl is intended to empowerment the advancement of young girls worldwide, while at the same time encouraging the achievement of their fundamental human rights, such as education and physical autonomy.

Why is International Day of the Girl such a massive deal?

Here are some reasons for the importance of International Girls’ Day.

1. For a long time, girls became unseen.

Girls have been largely hidden from sustainability and humanitarian policies and programming until recently. They were lumped into broader groups, such as ‘baby’ or ‘women’, and still are. These wider definitions make it harder to see the inequality they face and make it difficult to develop strategies that might shift the course not just for girls, but also for generations after them. The celebration of International Girl Day began in 2012 and is significant because it reflects on the girls and young women of the world, the unique problems they face, but also the opportunities to unlock their potential.

2. Girls have unique needs

Girls face more prejudice and abuse globally and have less schooling and playtime than boys. Owing to their sexual and reproductive health needs, they also face unique obstacles. Their schooling and their aspirations are cut short, with their bodies often too fragile and undeveloped for stable pregnancy and births, and millions of girls worldwide are pushed into marriage and motherhood way too young. In reality, pregnancy and childbirth complications in low- and middle-income countries are the leading causes of death for girls between the ages of 15 and 18. Children of mothers younger than 18 years of age are more likely to suffer malnutrition and die before the age of five. Girls and young women are often forced to marry even older men and have very few years of schooling as a result. They are at increased risk of being economically dependent on their partner, domestic and family brutality, and being cut off from decision-making in their household.

3. Empowering girl is a catalyst for greater social change.

A girl with access to schooling, healthcare, voluntary family planning, and healthy living and working spaces will improve the health and prosperity of her family and her neighbourhood. Girls’ additional years of schooling increase their individual earning power and educated girls are more likely to marry later and have less and healthier kids. Investment in girls will also produce some of the highest benefits for projects targeted at ending hunger, abuse, and gender discrimination.

How you can get involved?

• Share tales of inspirational young girls or girl-led organizations in their neighborhoods and nations that are creating creative ideas or leading movements for meaningful social progress, including gender equality. To inspire others, let’s amplify their leadership, acts, and impact.
• There are a variety of fantastic organizations working to provide girls with safe, educated, and healthy lives they deserve everywhere.
• Engage in the unveiling of a youth-led multimedia activation on International Day of the Girl. A digital activism movement is being created by young people around the world, aimed at increasing the diversity of girls’ voices and their hope for a reimagined future.