THE United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl 12 years ago to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges they face around the world.
Although some progress has been made the Unesco notes that a great number of girls are still held back from fulfilling their right to education due to poverty, child marriage, early pregnancy and child or domestic labour.
The United Nations Education and Scientific Council (Unesco) director-general Audrey Azoulay said in a message to mark the 2023 International Day of the Girl that 122 million girls are still out of school.
“Far too many girls remain unable to fulfil their right to education: poverty, child marriage, early pregnancy and child or domestic labour hold them back,” said Azoulay.
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared October 11 as the International Day of the Girl, to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
The UN said the decision was taken with the recognition that “empowerment of and investment in girls, which are critical for economic growth, the achievement of all Millennium Development Goals.
These include the eradication of poverty and extreme poverty, meaningful participation of girls in decisions that affect them and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights. Azoulay said “in the past decade, girls have been vocal advocates for values such as education for all, climate justice and peace and “they have actively opposed discrimination, tackling the systemic inequalities that fragment our societies.”
She said their dedication has borne fruit and “by 2009, the world had achieved gender parity in primary and lower secondary education, and by 2013, in upper secondary education.”
“However,regional disparities remain, notably in sub-Saharan Africa where, for every 100 boys, there are 96 girls enrolled in primary, 91 in lower secondary, and 87 in upper secondary education,” she said.
She said Unesco data shows that there are 50 million more children in school today than there were when the global education goal, SDG 4, was set in 2015.
Azoulay said “to achieve gender equality in education across the globe, we must sustain our efforts, equipping girls with tools and fostering environments conducive to their success. Firstly , we need to craft appropriate public policies.”
She said in 2022, Unesco assisted 31 countries in reviewing their policies, legislation and strategies on gender equality in and through education. These included helping Liberia to develop its first Girls’ Education Strategy which has now incorporated into their new sector plan.
Azoulay said the root causes of school dropouts, especially early and unintended pregnancies need to be addressed.
“The initial phase of UNESCO’s “Our Rights, Our Lives, Our Future” programme, heightened awareness of these concerns among over 34 million girls and women in 33 sub-Saharan African nations.
“The second phase of this project was launched in Zanzibar, Tanzania, in June this year. Thirdly, we must ensure that girls can pursue careers of their choosing. For instance, UNESCO strives to eliminate obstacles preventing girls and women from entering fields such as science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, where they currently represent a mere 35% of tertiary graduates.
“Girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during their formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported and educated, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, political leaders, and mothers,” she said. – news@mukurukuru.co.za
www.unesco.org
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