International Day Of The Girl Child 2020

"My voice, our equal future."

11th October is officially celebrated as the International Day for the girl child. It all began some twenty-five years ago when 30,000 people from nearly 200 countries arrived in Beijing, China, for the Fourth World Conference on Women. This conference ended with the first-time women’s rights being acknowledged as ‘human rights’. A journey coloured with struggle and strife, success and achievements has been in commotion ever since. The conference culminated in the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action: the first and foremost articulate agenda towards gender equality.

The following years kickstarted a series of movements advocating women’s rights worldwide. Women rights were given global recognition and many issues, stifled by the domineers in the past, were brought to the forefront. Issues such as domestic violence, sexual violence, child marriage, lack of girls being educated et cetera came to the knowledge of public and consequent movements to combat them followed.

The International Day of the Girl Child became a by-product of a project by Plan International—a non-governmental organisation that operates worldwide. On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution adopting October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child. It was propounded with the simple idea of increasing awareness of issues faced by girls worldwide and uplifting their status. By 2013, worldwide, there were around 2,043 events dedicated to the Day of Girl Child, some of which were sponsored by the United Nations.

Each year, a central theme is allocated to the day and all the events are organised keeping that in mind. The first theme was ‘Ending Child Marriage’. The second was ‘Innovating Girls' Education’ and the third was ‘Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence’. The themes are curated keeping in mind the issue that needs to be addressed as the need of the hour. The theme for The International Day of the Girl Child, 2020 is “My voice, our equal future.” The UNICEF deciphers this theme as, “An opportunity to reimagine a better world inspired by adolescent girls – energized and recognized, counted and invested in.”

As we see flurry of girls practice their power across the world as the change-makers for tomorrow, International Day of the Girl Child 2020 will focus on freedom from gender-based violence and diseases such as HIV and AIDS. This year also lays emphasis on adopting new skills towards the betterment of the future and accelerating social change and reform.

We inch closer towards maximising the potential of girls and creating a more harmonious and gender-equal society to live in. However, on each path lies certain obstacles that block the process of fruition and success. In the current day, the biggest obstacle towards uplifting girls is the COVID-19 outbreak. The pandemic has not just claimed numerous losses in women- led businesses, but also has led to an increase in gender-based violence worldwide. The limitless capacity of girls to be the changemakers of today has been greatly overshadowed with the increase in crimes against women in this lockdown period. The most recent example being that of the Hathras Rape Incident. While on an intrinsic level it was a hate crime deeply embedded in casteism, it also saw the patriarchy overpowering and muffling the voice of yet another young, innocent girl. Year after year, an increase in such cases stump the feats achieved in our path towards a better future for girls.

As the world gears up to celebrate International Day of the Girl Child today, what this really makes us ponder upon is if we are truly honouring the principles of equity propounded by the founding members?

The answer is no. We still have a long way to go when it comes to the elimination of all forms of discrimination and violence perpetrated against girls and the elimination of negative cultural attitudes and practices against girls. A lot needs to be done with respect to strengthening and uplifting the status of girls in our society.

It is always easier said than done. However, the start is also a monumental step towards the betterment of the society for the girl child. “While there are girls and young women reaching out for the stars and opening doors and opportunities, there are still a lot of doors that need keys to be opened’’, said a WHO spokesperson. Newer avenues providing opportunities to women must be opened up. New policies need to be set up which are not just glorified on special days such as the International Day of the Girl Child but also on all the other days. A platform must be given to young girls, the changemakers of tomorrow, to voice their concerns and work in tandem with the governmental organisations to bring the change they wish to see. The conversation for change must be started and it must be started now. The action must be relevant and inclusive of the next generation as they are the torchbearers of centuries of reforms to follow. We must engage the youth in the process by providing them with the proper resources to implement the change.

On this International Day of the Girl Child, we hope for peace and a society that is truly free from barriers of discrimination and violence against girls. We hope for a better tomorrow.

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Piece By-

Aditi Kapoor

aditikapoor.18x@gmail.com

Aditi is currently pursuing her Bachelors in English (Hons.) with a minor in Psychology from Daulat Ram College, University of Delhi. She took to writing poems, articles and reading books from a very young age owing to her parents who are both avid readers. She is a coffee addict and she loves to observe people. She loves to stay in her little cocoon and would occasionally venture out when an opportunity knocks!