Today marks the fifth-annual International Day of the Girl, a day to spur global attention and action to the challenges and opportunities girls face around the world.
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child.
❤️ this @Beyonce song for #DayoftheGirl!
What is freedom for girls to you? We’ll go 1st. #FreedomForGirls is living w/o fear of violence. pic.twitter.com/0bIDHtjI4K
— UNICEF (@UNICEF) October 11, 2017
“Adolescent 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,” writes the UN.
“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 workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders.”
Since 2012, Oct. 11 has been recognized with an aim to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
Happy #DayOfTheGirl! #IDG2017 pic.twitter.com/dtwD13v10X
— Malala (@Malala) October 11, 2017
The UN writes that the world’s 1.1 billion girls are “a source of power, energy, and creativity – and the millions of girls in emergencies are no exception.”
This year’s International Day of the Girl, ‘EmPOWER girls: Before, during and after conflict’, focuses on the challenges and opportunities girls face before, during, and after crises.
For more information or to get involved, click here.
@carmenweld
carmen.weld@bpdigital.ca
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