International Day of Girl Child 2021: Theme, History and Significance

Every year, October 11 is observed as the International Day of the Girl Child. The occasion marks the importance of adolescent girl children and attempts at identifying their power and potential by opening opportunities for them. It also aims at amplifying and empowering the voices of adolescent girls around the globe.

Through observing this day, an attempt is made to talk about and eradicate the issues concerning adolescent girl children. Throughout the world, girls face gender-based challenges such as child marriage, discrimination, violence, and poor learning opportunities. International Day of the Girl Child 2021 will observe the theme of ‘Digital Generation. Our Generation.’

International Day of Girl Child: HISTORY

The very first conference that identified and talked about the rights of girl children was the Beijing Declaration. Held in 1995, at the World Conference on Women in Beijing, countries unanimously adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action – known to be the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing the rights of not just women but girls too.

The United Nations General Assembly on December 19, 2011, passed a resolution declaring October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child. This day primarily focuses on the necessity to acknowledge the challenges that girls face around the globe and to empower them towards fulfilling their human rights.

International Day of Girl Child: SIGNIFICANCE

Seventeen points Sustainable Development Goals that was adopted in 2017 includes achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment. To meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the International Day of the Girl Child is quintessential, with an aim to assist young girls who have access to better health services, equal opportunities in education and without any gender-based discrimination or violence.

International Day of the Girl Child: THEME: DIGITAL GENERATION. OUR GENERATION

The theme for this year’s International Day of the Girl Child is “Digital Generation. Our Generation.” As the pandemic has made the world sit in front of laptop/mobile screens for learning and earning, around 2.2 billion people around the globe still do not have internet connections.

This has made them being pushed off the margins, especially the girls. On a global level, the gender gap of internet users has jumped from 11 per cent in 2013 to 17 per cent in 2019. For the least developed countries, the percentage marks around 43 percent.

In the age of digital revolution where people are using technology in various ways to learn new skills and earn revenue, women and girls cannot be left behind.

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