AMMAN —
The world observed the
International Day of the Girl Child on October 11, a day
that brings to the fore issues of importance to girls, wishes to raise
awareness among governments, policy makers, and the general public, and that
gives the girls the opportunity to make their voices heard, Al-Rai daily
reported.
اضافة اعلان
The occasion may be
marking the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl Child, but
progress in girls’ rights remain limited, and girls continue to face countless
challenges to realizing their potential, challenges that have been exacerbated
by simultaneous crises: climate change, the corona pandemic and humanitarian
conflicts, which put some 10 million girls at risk of child marriage.
According to the
UN, girls around the world continue to face unprecedented challenges in their
pursuit of education, physical and mental health and wellbeing, and protection
needed to lead a life free from violence.
The pandemic has
exacerbated the burdens on girls worldwide, and undid important gains made over
the past decade.
Up to 10 million
girls are at risk of child marriage. The profound effects of the pandemic
increased this risk: economic shocks, school closures and the disruption of
reproductive health services, the UN warned.
Nearly half of
primary schools in the least developed countries lack separate bathrooms for
each gender — an important factor in encouraging girls to attend school — and a
third of the schools lack electricity.
The UN indicates
that girls are prime victims of sexual exploitation (72 percent of the detected
victims) while boys are predominantly subjected to forced labor (66 percent of
the detected victims).
The gap between
the world’s Internet users increased from 11 percent in 2013 to 17 percent in
2019, with the widest gap in the world’s least developed countries, at 43
percent.
Globally, the
proportion of female STEM graduates is 15 percent lower in more than two-thirds
of countries.
As such, it is
essential to engage government officials, policy makers and stakeholders, and
convince them to make meaningful investments that address the inequality
experienced by girls, particularly when it comes to accessing mental health and
psychosocial support services, in the face of conflict, forced migration,
natural disasters and the effects of climate change.
In 1995, the World Conference on Women was held in
the Chinese capital, Beijing, and countries unanimously adopted the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action, which is the most advanced plan ever to
advance the rights of women and girls. This declaration was the first
international instrument to specifically defend the rights of girls.
On December 19,
2011, the
UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 proclaiming October 11
each year as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize the rights
of girls and the unique challenges that girls face worldwide.
The day aims to
focus attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote
girls’ empowerment and their human rights.
Adolescent girls,
the UN says, have the right to a secure life, education and health, not only
during these crucial formative years of their life, but also as they mature
into women. If supported effectively during the teenage years, girls have the
power to change the world, and become workers, mothers, businesswomen, mentors,
heads of families, and political leaders.
“Investing in the
power and rights of adolescent girls today will yield a more just and
prosperous future, as half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the
problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease
prevention and global sustainability,” the UN said.
The 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development (as adopted in General Assembly Resolution 70/1) — and
the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, adopted by world leaders in 2015 —
contain a roadmap for achieving sustainable progress that is inclusive.
Achieving gender
equality and empowering women are integral parts of each of the 17 Sustainable
Development Goals.
“By ensuring the rights of women and girls in each of the
goals, we can achieve justice and inclusion, build economies that work for all,
and preserve the common environment for us and future generations,” the UN
said.
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