We celebrate The International Day of the Girl Child on October 11 because we know the unique challenges facing young girls across the globe. When the United Nations launched its first celebration of the Girl Child in 2012, it acknowledged pervasive worldwide barriers like gender-based violence, limited access to education and healthcare, forced marriage, deliberate career exclusion, and rampant gender discrimination.
Whatever systemic, multigenerational beatdown an oppressed group suffers, it almost certainly is especially the case for girls and women, and it almost universally affects Black girls disproportionately. Obstacles (to put it mildly) can be the lingering impact of historic abuse or more contemporary exploitation, but it all needs correcting, and that requires acknowledgment.
The International Day of the Girl Child is a universal platform for solidarity and advocacy. It gives us an official window of awareness for the considerable work left to do, as well as an opportunity to recognize the progress our world has made.
We, like others, are committed to breaking down blockades and building a world where every girl, particularly Black girls, can thrive. And we welcome one and all to join us in both the struggle and the celebration.
To learn more about the International Day of the Girl Child, from the United Nations, click here. And learn more about the ways girls and young people across the globe are finding ways to resist at Stories of Girls Resistance.
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