Girls Vision For The Future

“No country can ever truly flourish if it stifles the potential of its women and deprives itself of the contributions of half its citizens”. - Michelle Obama. The plight of girls globally continues to be of much concern to various stakeholders. Nearly 1 in 5 girls are still not completing lower-secondary and nearly 4 in 10 girls are not completing upper-secondary school today. In many parts of the world, girls have been stripped of their basic human rights such as that of accessing an education. Globally, girls aged 5-14 spend 160 million more hours every day on unpaid care and domestic work than boys of the same age. The statistics are there for all of us to see, however, the call to action has been a muted one in some countries and this is very much unsettling. On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. The 2024 International Day of the Girl theme is ‘Girls’ vision for the future’. This year’s theme conveys both the need for urgent action and persistent hope, driven by the power of girls’ voices and vision for the future. Today’s generation of girls is disproportionately affected by global crises of climate, conflict, poverty and pushback on hard won gains for human rights and gender equality. Too many girls are still denied their rights, restricting their choices and limiting their futures. Unfortunately, there is a dark side to patriarchy which continues to view the female sex through the lens as a currency to trade. Women and girls are viewed as commodities. It is this sinister outlook that continues to fuel global social issues such as sex and human trafficking. Since the Taliban took over the government in Afghanistan girls and women have been denied their basic human rights and this is problematic. The international community needs to be more vocal regarding the plight of Afghan girls and those girls who live in war-torn areas across the globe. Additionally, girls who are oftentimes displaced as a result of conflicts and wars end up in refugee camps where they face the added problems of physical and sexual abuse. According to the United Nations (UN) recent analysis shows that girls are not only courageous in the face of crisis, but hopeful for the future. Every day, they are taking action to realize a vision of a world in which all girls are protected, respected and empowered. But girls cannot realize this vision alone. They need allies who listen to and respond to their needs. The UN adds that with the right support, resources and opportunities, the potential of the world’s more than 1.1 billion girls is limitless. And when girls lead, the impact is immediate and wide reaching: families, communities and economies are all stronger, our future brighter. Why has it become acceptable in some societies to deny girls the right to a safe, educated and healthy life? Clearly, something is wrong with this narrative. Mass Abductions of Girls The international community was shocked in 2014 when 276 girls were abducted from their school in the town of Chibok in Nigeria by Boko Haram gunmen. The mass abductions sparked a global campaign to #BringBackOurGirls, which included former US First Lady Michelle Obama. Disturbingly, about 90 of the girls are still missing. In recent times, at least 160 other villagers have been kidnapped from a remote community in Nigeria's central Niger state. International news entities reported that a large number of armed men, suspected to be from Nigeria's militant Islamist group Boko Haram, invaded Kuchi village in May of 2024. Those kidnapped were mostly women and children, while those killed included local hunters who were providing security for the area. Amnesty International expressed its "deep concern" at the mass abduction. "The invasion of the village by the gunmen is yet another indication of the Nigerian authorities' utter failure to protect lives," it said. "Since 2021 gunmen have been consistently attacking Kuchi village and raping women and girls in their matrimonial homes.”From time to time, the gunmen demand millions of Naira as ransom from the people to avoid being kidnapped. "Amnesty International is calling on the Nigerian authorities to end these spates of abductions and bring suspected perpetrators to justice. Frequent mass abductions and killings are clear evidence of failure of authorities to protect the people." Sadly, women and girls continue to be the subject of abductions in parts of Nigeria. In some parts of the world girls are often married off to much older men in what is called child bride. A child bride won the right to divorce now the Taliban says it does not count. Bibi Nazdana’s divorce is one of tens of thousands of court rulings revoked since the Taliban took control of the country three years ago this month. Women were also declared unfit to participate in the judicial system. "Women aren't qualified or able to judge because in our Sharia principles the judiciary work requires people with high intelligence," says Abdulrahim Rashid, director of foreign relations and communications at Taliban's Supreme Court. Child and forced marriage (CFM) is a human rights violation and a harmful practice that disproportionately affects women and girls globally, preventing them from living their lives free from all forms of violence. According to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), worldwide, more than 650 million women alive today were married as children. Every year, at least 12 million girls are married before they reach the age of 18. This is 28 girls every minute. One in every five girls is married, or in union, before reaching age 18. In the least developed countries, that number doubles: 40 per cent of girls are married before age 18 and 12 per cent of girls are married before age 15. The practice is particularly widespread in conflict-affected countries and humanitarian settings. Undoubtedly, a high percentage of the discrimination women and girls face stems from an ideology of patriarchy and misogyny. Additionally, there are institutional structures that are in place that aid and abet these systems. Improve the Status of Girls On this the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child, let us urge the global community to redouble their efforts to ensure that girls are empowered through education and training. Governments should be encouraged to invest more in order to tap into the untapped power of adolescent girls as well as defend their rights in order to attain a more equitable and prosperous future for all. It is only by achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment that each of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals will be accomplished. In the words of Hillary Clinton, in too many instances, the march to globalization has also meant the marginalization of women and girls. And that must change. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo © #InternationalDayoftheGirlChild