When it comes to the awareness of female equality and empowerment, I always love to promote and nurture a movement that unfortunately is not always at the forefront of our thinking. With such statistics as 65 million young girls worldwide unable to attend school and two thirds of the worlds illiterate adults being women, there still remains a large divide between the equality of women and men, something that within the 21st century should be far less of a prevalent issue than it currently is.
In response to the unfortunate barriers and hardships women are still encountering within the fight for equality, the United Nations decided to name October 11 as ‘International Day of the Girl’. The day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges women still encounter, whilst promoting female empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights.
International Day of the Girl is not only an opportunity to liberate women, but it also increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide. This inequality includes aspects such as the right and access to education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care, protection from discrimination and unfree child marriage. However, the celebration of this day also reflects the successful emergence of girls and young women as a distinct cohort in development policy, programming, campaigning and research, thus also highlighting and celebrating our achievements and triumphs.
Acknowledging and nurturing such an incredible dedication and celebration of the empowerment of women through International Day of the Girl is a fantastic opportunity to stand united and spread the importance and continuation of fighting for our equal rights worldwide. As a united sisterhood, we must ensure that women are confident enough to fight for their rights no matter what their personal, socio-economical or geographical position may be!
Cristina x