International Day of the Girl Child
International Day of the Girl Child
**Trigger warning. Proceed as comfortable, and remember to take good care of you!**
I truly hope that every single boy and girl is safe and sound in the world, but unfortunately, we all know that is not true. WE live in a very strange society that abuses children in many different ways (psychically, verbally, and sexually). That is why the International Day of the Girl is made. Today we promote girls' rights and address the problems they face every day. This day increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide based upon their gender. This inequality includes areas such as access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, and protection from discrimination, violence against women, and forced child marriage.
In 2020, we commemorate 25 years since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – the global agenda for advancing the rights and empowerment of women and girls, everywhere. This year's theme is “My Voice, Our Equal Future”.
International Day of the Girl 2020 will focus on their demands to:
Live free from gender-based violence, harmful practices, and HIV and AIDS
Learn new skills towards the futures they choose
Lead as a generation of activists accelerating social change
Are we even aware of their problems? Did you know...
♀...that 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.
♀...that 1 in 3 women worldwide has 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.
♀... that at least 60% of countries still discriminate against daughters’ rights to inherit land and non-land assets in either law or practice.
♀...that some 650 million girls and women around the world today have been married as children, and over 200 million have undergone FGM.
FGM can lead to serious health complications – including prolonged bleeding, infection, and infertility – or even death. Girls who have undergone FGM are at heightened risk of experiencing complications during childbirth. It is estimated that FGM causes an additional one to two perinatal deaths per 100 deliveries.
But, how will we even end this discrimination? On this link, you can find 16 ways how to end violence against girls. https://plan-international.org/ending-violence/16-ways-end-violence-girls
These are some things girls said and I thought it would be interesting for you to see:
1) My family’s situation and the challenges I face every day to attend school will not stop me from continuing to fight for my dreams. I worry that some of my friends are not studying due to a lack of money or because they are not interested in education or because their family does not support them. I always advise them to return to school if they want to have a better future.” Timotea, age 14, from Guatemala
2) If you give a girl the comprehensive sex education she deserves, by the time she grows up, she’ll be able to make an informed decision about whom to have sex with and when. And if someone tries to exploit her for sex, she’ll be able to recognize that this is happening and demand her rights.” Marelin, age 19, from the Dominican Republic
3) Today, boys are still educated on the basis of very traditional values with little respect given to the role of women in society. In school, they are considered funny when they lift up girls’ skirts.” Celia, age 23, from Spain
These are only three girls who said something, but there are so many who just aren't brave enough to speak. That's why we as a society need to do something. I thought this post would be great to make and thanks to Marcelo @WelcomeToChat, I made it. Thank you so much for giving me this idea!
Resources:
https://www.un.org/en/observances/girl-child-day
https://www.who.int/reproductivehealth/topics/adolescence/idgc/en/
https://www.unicef.org/media/65586/file/A-new-era-for-girls-2020.pdf
https://downloads.unicef.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/unicef-convention-rights-child-uncrc.pdf
Elena XOXO
You can find Day 2's discussion here. [added by @nonethewiser 10/11/20]
@elizabethunter Thank you for sharing this and raising awareness on such important and serious issues in society today. FGM is sometimes considered a taboo topic in some societies, which can make it all the more difficult for any one who went through it. Thank you for raising awareness! ❤️
@hillsideblues
As a forum supporter it is my honor, thank you!
**Warning. Some content might be triggering**
@elizabethunter
Thank you for this enlightening brief report, which helps raise awareness on this terrible subject.
It is one of the most severe problems of our time, but it goes "under the radar" of worldwide public opinion.
Just to take one issue, the practice of force-marriage of small girls to adult men, has been openly denounced by NGOs and many leaders of Human Rights, like Michelle Bachelet, now UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, as a form of sexual slavery. Nothing but the massive, daily, systematic rape of girls.
But the practice continues, protected by harmful traditions, and even by law in some countries. It goes clearly against the Rights of Children, (as established in International Law, and the internal law of most countries), one of which Rights forbids any sexual activity of adults with children, considering this abuse and sexual exploitation.
So that 650 million girls have been force-married to adult men, looks to me like a giant sexual abuse factory.
For girls, and later women, who might never have any support for emotional and mental health in their lives. it is also a huge factory of suffering and mental illness.
First, awareness is called for. Letting the world know what happens.
This brief and informative report is a valuable contribution to that.
Then, advocacy, denouncing openly these practices. Demanding that they end.
Next, maybe sanctions of some sort, to countries that protect and preserve these outrageous crimes.
Horrendous crimes against the most innocent, precious, and lovely creatures on Earth.
In the meantime, all our love to them.
@elizabethunter Thankyou so much for this resourceful post! I try to talk about these issues whenever and wherever I can and I am from a largely conservative society where most men still believe that the clothing is the culprit in rape cases. So I really appreciate your initiative and I applaud your effort! 
Very informative and great post
With many of the subjects and topics being taboo in much of society it just keeps the cycle going. So many unheard voices crying out for help with no one to turn to. It's distressing that there are so many children still suffering such atrocities.
@elizabethunter
Thank you for raising awareness about this topic. Apt for the day. We live in a very strange society where inequalities exist to the extinct that it makes really difficult for one gender to walk freely, express freely and talk freely. This all is deep rooted in our thinking patterns. This society just bound the female gender from all the freedom and happiness. Though with time people are changing, thinking pattern is changing but still a lot is needed to be done. It is really shocking to see the statistics, easier to process quantitative aspects rather than qualitative as they highlights the seriousness of the issue.
