International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated annually on 11 October to highlight and draw attention towards the challenges that girls' face. It is also necessary to focus on their human rights and empowerment. What is the history behind celebrating International Day of the Girl Child, theme of 2019 and its significance? Let us find out!
In ancient times, women were highly
respected. But with time, their situation changed drastically. Thinking
of people towards girls changed. Conservative practices like child
marriage, sati system, dowry system, female foeticide, etc. became
prevalent. Due to this, girls were being denied from rights like
education, nutrition, legal rights and medicine. But now in this modern
era, several efforts are being made to provide girls their rights and to
make people aware of it. The Indian government is also working in this
direction and is implementing various schemes.
International Day of the Girl Child
Since 2012, International Day of the Girl Child is being celebrated
every year. Its main objective is to empower women and help them to get
their rights so that they can face the challenges all over the world and
meet their needs. At the same time, spreading awareness about
eliminating gender abnormalities against girls around the world.
“Women's empowerment is intertwined with respect for human rights”. - Mahnaz Afkhami
International Day of the Girl Child 2019: Theme
The theme of the International Day of the Girl Child 2019 is
"GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable". Women have led global movements
on issues ranging from sexual and reproductive health rights to equal
pay. Today, most of the girls are attending school and completing their
studies. Now, they are focusing on career. They are not being forced to
marry at a young age. Several movements are organised for adolescent
girls and tackling issues related to child marriage, education
inequality, gender-based violence, climate change, self-esteem, and
girls' rights to enter places of worship or public spaces during
menstruation. Girls are proving that they are Unscripted and
Unstoppable. This year’s theme also celebrates the achievements by, with
for girls since the adoption of Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action.
World Conference on Women took place in Beijing in 1995 where
countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for
Action. It was the most progressive blueprint for advancing not only the
rights of women but also for girls. This declaration is the first to
specifically call out girl's rights. United Nations General Assembly on
19 December, 2011 adopted a resolution 66/170 to declare 11 October as
the International Day of the Girl Child. It’s aimed to highlight and
recognise girl's rights and the challenges that girls face around the
world. Thus, the first International Day of the Girl Child was observed
on 11 October 2012 and its theme at that time was "Ending Child
Marriage".
The Government of India has also implemented several schemes to
empower girls, under which "Beti Bachao Beti Padhao" is one of them.
Apart from this, the central and state governments are also taking
initiatives and implementing various schemes. In India too, National
Girl Child Day is celebrated every year on 24 January.
