The International Day of the Girl Child, 11th October 2024

“The Fearless Girl” (2017), A statue of Kristen Visbal, New York City.

@Jeenah Moon/BloombergGetty Images

 “A girl born today will have to wait until her 97th birthday – beyond her expected lifespan – to see gender equality achieved globally ”says the latest report of Equal Measures 2030. A timely reminder as we celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child today.

International Days at the UN – Setting the Global Agenda

The International Day of the Girl Child (IDG), celebrated annually on 11 October, is one of the 224 International Days and Weeks recognised by the United Nations. Each of these days serves to raise awareness, mobilise political will, drive resources and ultimately, calling for actions. Many of these days are relevant to everyone, including children (see the UN list of International Days). However, some hold special significance for children’s rights, such as :

• International Day of Education (24 January).

• International Day of Women and Girls in Science (11 February).

• International Girls in ICT Day (25 April).

• International Day of Families (15 May).

• International Day of Innocent Children Victims of Aggression (4 June).

• International Day of Play (11 June) - See the previous post and here.

• World Day Against Child Labour (12 June).

• International Day of Women and Girls of African Descent (25 July).

• International Day of the Girl Child (11 October).

• World Day for the Prevention of and Healing from Child Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Violence (18 November).

• World Children’s Day (20 November).
  

These observances are part of the broader framework of UN commemorations, including International Years, UN Anniversaries and International Decades. It is worth mentioning that this year, 2024, marks the Centenary of the Geneva Declaration of the Rights of the Child, a key moment in the UN’s institutional history of children’s rights.

What makes the International Day of the Girl Child unique is its exclusive focus on girls. While girls and children are mentioned in several UN observances, boys are not mentioned and do not have a dedicated international day. Could this be a gap to fill in the future? It certainly raises an important question about how we could highlight the needs and challenges facing boys.

The International Day of the Girl Child – Exploring the Historical Background 

The Global Context

The advocacy for the IDG must be understood within the broader context of both the women's rights and children's rights movements. These movements gained significant momentum at the UN in the late 1970s, with key milestones such as the UN Decade for Women (1976-1985), the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) in 1979, and the designation of 1979 as the International Year of the Child. That same year, discussions began on a draft convention submitted by the Government of Poland, which eventually led to the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted a decade later in 1989. A crucial moment in advancing girls' rights came in 1995, during the Beijing Conference, which resulted in Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. This was the first major international document to explicitly highlight girls' rights and the challenges they face. This commitment for girls’ rights has been carried forward, notably through the work of the CRC Committee and the CEDAW Committee.

The campaign for the IDG

The advocacy campaign for the IDG was championed primarily by Plan International - a leading NGO working for girls' rights since the early 2000s. Plan International campaign, Because I Am a Girl, was instrumental in raising the visibility of girls’ issues on the world stage. It focused on gender discrimination specifically affecting girls and led to the realisation that a specific day was needed to address exclusively girls' issues, separate from International Women’s Day (8 March). While girls share some challenges with women, their situation is unique because they are also children and experience different dynamics of power and vulnerability (additionally, intersectional factors such as age, race, socio-economic background, and disability further compound the difficulties girls experience).

Plan international, especially its Canadian office, managed to have Canada propose this day to the UN General Assembly (UNGA) – as only member states can propose the creation of an international day. Under the leadership of Rona Ambrose, then Canadian Minister for the Status of Women, Canada formally proposed the resolution to the UNGA. On 19 December 2011, the UNGA adopted Resolution 66/170, officially establishing 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child. The first IDG, celebrated in 2012, had the theme: “Ending Child Marriage”. This was an important starting point, as forced child marriage continues to affect millions of girls worldwide.

Annual Themes of the International Day of the Girl Child – Staying Relevant

Since its inception, each year’s IDG theme has addressed an issue related to girls' rights and echoes the broader global agenda. A retrospective of the themes includes:

• 2013: “Innovating for Girls’ Education” – A year also marked by the Malala Day (12 July) which called attention to the struggle for gender equitable access to education.

• 2014 : Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence”– That year, CEDAW and CRC also issued a joint general comment on harmful practices (4 November).

• 2015 : “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030” –  Aligned with the adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) the same year.

• 2016 : “Girls’ Progress = Goals’ Progress: What Counts for Girls” – A year marking the implementation of SDGs.

• 2017 : “Empower Girls: Before, During and After Crises” – Reflecting the Rohingya crisis, famine in East Africa (South Sudan, Somalia, Nigeria), and Yemen.

• 2018 : “ With Her: A Skilled GirlForce (2018)” – Emphasising the need for technical skills, and STEM education in preparing girls for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), a popular topic connected to the future of work.

• 2019 : “GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable” – Celebrating achievements by, with, and for girls.

• 2020 : “My Voice, Our Equal Future (2020)” - A year that also featured the Gender Equality Forum co-hosted by France and Mexico.

• 2021 : “Digital Generation. Our Generation” – Focusing on the acceleration of digital technology, especially after COVID 19.

• 2022 “Our Time is Now - Our Rights, Our Future”– Marking the 10th anniversary of the IDG.

• 2023 : “Invest in Girls' Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being”– Highlighting the growing concern for mental health (also impacted by COVID 19).

• 2024 : “Girls’ vision for the future”– Aligned with the Summit of the Future, held in September.

  
  

These annual themes contribute to shaping the global conversation about girls' rights, evolving to stay aligned with the global context. This year’s theme, tied to the Summit of the Future, an important conference aiming to provide a visionary roadmap for tackling pressing global challenges.

Challenges Facing Girls Today – An Ongoing Battle

Despite progress, girls worldwide continue to face significant challenges. These range from access to education, gender-based violence (including early forced marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM)), to widespread societal discrimination. While these issues are the most visible violations of girls' rights, they are part of a larger, almost universal, systemic culture that undermines the female gender, trivialises, and often marginalises girls – sometimes perceived as a burden, unworthy or unwanted.

All aspects of girls' lives are affected by gender norms and societal expectations, which even influence seemingly unrelated areas, like the right to play. The International Day of the Girl Child reminds us that although progress has been made, much remains to be done.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed the fragility of the progress achieved for girls. According to UNESCO (2020), 11 million girls may not return to school due to pandemic related disruptions. UNICEF (2021) reported that the pandemic-induced economic fallout could result in an additional 10 million child marriages by 2030, reversing years of progress. Meanwhile, climate change and related environmental crises are worsening the situation, as deteriorating economic conditions drive increased forced child marriages in vulnerable regions (UNFPA, 2021).

In the Pact for the Future, adopted during the Summit on 23 September 2024, girls are mentioned 33 times, with emphasis on two actions: achieving gender equality and empowerment, as a crucial contribution across the SDGs (Action 8), and also through science, technology, and innovation (Action 31). The Pact calls for ending all forms of violence and discriminations, to combat gender stereotypes, ensuring girls education and participation, particularly in the digital space.

Addressing girls challenges effectively requires collaboration, especially across the children’s rights and women’s rights organisations. Greater cooperation among UN agencies, such as UNICEF, UNFPA, UN Women, and the CEDAW and CRC Committees, along with the civil society (NGOs, association, academia) and the private sector, including business and enterprises, is essential.