UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Tuesday that advancing girls’ progress triggers powerful ripple effect across development goals.
He made the remarks in his message on the International Day of the Girl Child, which is observed today across the globe.
The theme for this year’s International Day of the Girl Child, on 11 October, “Girls’ Progress = Goals’ Progress: A Global Girl Data Movement”, is a call for action for increased investment in collecting and analyzing girl-focused, girl-relevant and sex-disaggregated data. One year into the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, improving data on girls and addressing the issues that are holding them back is critical for fulfilling the Sustainable Development Goals
In his message on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s said said that the well-being, human rights and empowerment of the world’s 1.1 billion girls are central to achieving the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. He said on that agenda girls are promised quality education and health services. He added that “we are committed to ending discrimination and violence against girls, and harmful practices like child marriage. We pledge to leave no one behind.”
“Too often, in villages, shanty towns and refugee camps around the world, girls are the ones left behind, without nutritious food, health care or quality education and at risk of sexual violence. Investing in girls is both the right thing to do and the smart thing to do. It has a powerful ripple effect across all areas of development, and reaches forward to future generations,” he added.
He stressed it is important to make sure that these initiatives are reaching all girls: girls in extreme poverty; girls in isolated rural areas; girls living with disabilities; girls in indigenous communities; girls who are refugees or displaced within their own countries.
UN Women said one of the issues facing girls around the world, which directly hinder their development is child marriage.
According to UN Women, the data is daunting—one in three girls in developing countries (except China) get married before they turn 18. They added that girls who are child brides miss out on education, are more vulnerable to physical and sexual violence, and bear children before they are physically or emotionally prepared. The cycle of violence that begins in girlhood, carries over into womanhood and across generations. UN women noted that the 2030 Agenda must address their needs and unlock their potential.
The Maldives marked this year’s International Day of the Girl Child with a special programme organised by the Ministry of Gender and Family under the title “girls lead”.
Speaking to PSM News about the programme, Minister of Gender and Family, Zeneesha Shaheed Zaki said the programme aims to provide employment experience for 35 girls aged 16 to 17 years from universities across the country. She said the main objective of the programme is to empower girls, instil leadership skills and provide them with opportunity to hold respectable positions in the workplace.
The Human Rights Commission of Maldives, HRCM also issued a special supplement on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child. In its supplement, HRCM urged families to immediately report cases of abuse against girls to relevant authorities, adding that failure to do so hinders efforts to provide them necessary protection.