October 11: International Day of the Girl Child - What is it about?

The child anywhere across the world is to be protected by all means possible. Every country has laws or has signed up to international conventions relating to protection of children.

The ‘Girl Child’ has long been given priority given that they are usually classed as vulnerable and thus in need of added protection and support.

Whiles there is no international boys day, the girls do have it. The day which falls yearly on October 11, is to highlight the successes and challenges that the girl child faces as well as plan how to scale hurdles that lay ahead. It is a day institutionalized by the United Nations.

The theme for the 2018 International Day of the Girl Child is: “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force.”

The UN Women in a statement said: “…we stand with girls everywhere as they inspire, innovate and take charge of their own future.

“The 1.1 billion girls of today’s world are challenging the status quo. They’re redefining girlhood, and they’re doing so against the odds.

“Across the world, girls face adversities that hinder their education, training and entry into the workforce.They have less access to information, communication technology and resources, such as the internet where the global gender gap is growing.

“A quarter of young people, most of them girls, are neither employed nor getting an education or training,” the statement added.