New Delhi: The International Day of the Girl Child, observed on October 11, aims to highlight and address the challenges girls face worldwide. It promotes girls' empowerment and the fulfilment of their rights, focusing on issues such as education, health, and gender equality.
Established by the United Nations (UN) in 2012, the day encourages advocacy and action to improve girls' lives and opportunities.
Brief History: The International Day of the Girl Child was established by the United Nations in 2012 to raise awareness about the challenges girls face and to promote their rights. The initiative originated from a 2005 resolution by the UN General Assembly, emphasizing the need for gender equality and empowerment of girls.
The first observance took place on October 11, 2012, marking a commitment to addressing issues like education, health, and violence against girls, and it has since evolved to include various themes each year to focus on specific challenges and goals.
Significance Of The Day: The International Day of the Girl Child, observed on October 11, highlights the importance of addressing the challenges girls face worldwide and promoting their empowerment. It aims to raise awareness about issues such as gender inequality, education, health, and violence against girls.
The day serves as a platform for advocating for girls' rights, fostering leadership, and ensuring that girls have the opportunity to reach their full potential. By focusing on these issues, it encourages global action and collaboration to create a more equitable future for all girls.
Aim: This day encourages girls' active engagement in social, economic, and political life and urges for action to overcome gender imbalances. It serves as a reminder of the potential and significance of girls in creating a more just and equal world, as well as how to support their well-being and give them the tools they need to realize their goals.
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.
Theme For 2024: The theme of this year’s International Day of the Girl is, ‘Girls’ vision for the future’. The findings from UNICEF research show that girls are not only courageous in the face of challenges, but hopeful for the future. Today, and every day, is an opportunity for the world to get behind their vision, and invest to build an equal, and better future.
2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development: Boundaries and hurdles created by exclusion and stereotypes—including those aimed at children with disabilities and members of marginalised communities—are being broken by girls. Girls are building a world that will be relevant for themselves and future generations by becoming global movement leaders.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by world leaders in 2015, embody a roadmap for progress that is sustainable and leaves no one behind.
Each of the 17 goals is contingent upon the achievement of gender equality and women's empowerment. Ensuring the rights of women and girls across all goals is essential to achieving justice and inclusion, creating inclusive economies, and protecting our shared environment both now and in the future.
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