Every year, the 11th of October marks International Day of the Girl Child . At Intouch Global Foundation, gender equality is one of our main focuses, which is why we feel it’s such an important day for us to talk about.
This year, the Generation Equality Forum , a forum that brought together change-makers, leaders and corporations from around the world, raised their voices even louder to commit to finding solutions for gender inequality. This group has been a huge inspiration for this year’s International Day of the Girl Child’s talking points.
In 2021, the focus of International Day of the Girl Child is on listening to adolescent girls and hearing what they have to say about the world and the things they think need to change. These girls are the future and are already starting to have a big say in tomorrow’s world. We need to listen to their points and be inspired and influenced by their demands. According to the UN, these demands are to:
- Live free from gender-based violence
- Learn new skills towards the futures they choose
- Lead as a generation of activists accelerating social change
Living in a society where genders are treated equally increases the economy, reduces poverty and has even been more linked to peace. Yet, women and girls still earn less on average, don’t have as much access to education and are more likely to be victims of sexual and violent crimes. Unfortunately, that’s just naming a few inequalities that exist!
This is why we need to hear more voices and stories of women and girls across the world. And we need to hear them loudly and clearly – so everyone at the back can hear too!
If you believe that gender equality is the way forward, you can get involved by sharing stories of women and girl’s experiences through social media and general word of mouth. You can also listen to their ideas on how to change the world for the better as well as educate yourself on how gender inequality exists around the globe. Finally, you can support charities that focus on gender equality as a sustainable factor.
