Since 2012, 11 October has been marked as the International Day of the Girl Child. The day aims to highlight the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
This year’s theme for the day is Digital generation. Our generation.
According to recent WHO data on violence against women shows that nearly 1 in 4 (24%) of adolescent girls who have been in a relationship experience physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, existing inequalities have been brought to the fore, disrupting access to vital health and support services. The pandemic has however also accelerated the use of digital health and tools. This, according to WHO, provides an opportunity, especially for children and adolescents under 18.
When it comes to their health, the available technologies and how their access to information, young people are well-placed to articulate their needs and contribute to finding solutions as equal and valuable partners. However, they still encounter considerable resistance to meaningful collaboration when it comes to programmes, strategies, policies, funding mechanisms and organizations that directly affect their lives.
WHO recently collaborated with partners, including HRP, to develop guidance for out-of-school CSE programmes that are appropriate and safe for different groups of children and young people. This complements the guidance developed by the United Nations on school-based sexuality education.
With these changing times and developments, girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world, both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s leaders.
As more people and institutions work on gender equality, investment in realizing the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future.
