The United Nations (UN)’s International Day of the Girl Child is annually observed across the globe on October 11 to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
- 11th October 2022 marks the 10th Anniversary of the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC).
- The theme of the International Day of the Girl Child 2022 is “Our time is now – Our Rights, Our Future“.
- The day was formed to focus on promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
Background:
i. The UN General Assembly (UNGA) adopted a resolution A/RES/66/170 on 19 December 2011 and declared October 11 of every year as the International Day of the Girl Child.
ii. The 1st International Day of the Girl Child was observed on 11th October 2012.
Beijing Declaration:
The UN adopted the Beijing Declaration in 1995 during the World Conference on Women in Beijing, China.
Key Points:
i. 10 million girls were at risk of child marriage since the profound effects of the COVID-19 pandemic were putting girls at higher risk of early marriage due to a combination of economic shocks, school closures, and interruptions in reproductive health services.
- Girls are primarily victims of sexual exploitation – 72% of detected girl victims.
- Boys are mainly subjected to forced labour – 66% of detected boy victims.
ii. In more than two-thirds of the world’s countries, the proportion of female graduates in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) is less than 15%.
iii. UN Women encourage and celebrate girls’ influence on global agendas on Climate, Education Mental well-being, Gender-based violence, Sexual and reproductive health and rights.
About the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA):
President- Csaba Kőrösi
Headquarters- New York, United States of America
Establishment- 1945
