Girl Power! Shikilia Ndoto yako.
International Day of the Girl Child (Day of the Girl) is celebrated annually on October 11 to highlight issues concerning the gender inequality facing young girls. This year’s theme is “The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030.”
BACKGROUND
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 declaring 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
INTERNATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY 2015 IN TANZANIA
International girl child day in Tanzania was held on 10th October 2015 at Tandale Primary School grounds, Kinondoni, Dar es salaam with the theme ” The Power of Adolescent Girl : Vision for 2030.
We PROJEKT INSPIRE, we participated on the even which was organized by the government in collaboration with UNFPA, PROJEKT INSPIRE, RESTLESS DEVELOPMENT TANZANIA, TAMWA, YUNA TANZANIA,YOUTH FOR CHANGE, FEMINA, HOPE 4 YOUNG GIRLS TANZANIA, AND KIWOHEDE
Our INSPIRE HEALTH team did a great job in provision of free health services during the event by screening people for blood pressure, blood sugar, Body-Mass Index (BMI), Blood hemoglobin and free medical consultation.
MESSAGE FROM UN GENERAL SECRETARY for 2015 INTERNATIONAL GIRL CHILD DAY
“Our task now is to get to work on meeting the SDG targets and making good on our promises to give girls all the opportunities they deserve as they mature to adulthood by 2030. That means enabling them to avoid child marriage and unwanted pregnancy, protect against HIV transmission, stay safe from female genital mutilation, and acquire the education and skills they need to realize their potential. It also requires ensuring their sexual health and reproductive rights. Girls everywhere should be able to lead lives free from fear and violence. If we achieve this progress for girls, we will see advances across society
Let us resolve to invest in today’s adolescent girls so that tomorrow they can stand strong as citizens, political leaders, entrepreneurs, heads of their households and more. This will secure their rights and our common future”
This year’s theme focuses on adolescent girls and the Sustainable Development Goals, which set a range of international targets, including on gender equality, to be achieved by 2030.
As a particularly vulnerable demographic, adolescent girls face social, economic and political barriers. While they hold the potential to become leaders and effect change, their empowerment can be hindered by factors such as unwanted pregnancy, forced early marriage, gender-based violence and limited access to higher education and reproductive health services.
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
- Worldwide, more than 700 million women were married as children (below 18 years of age). More than one in three—or some 250 million—were married before 15. And child brides are often unable to effectively negotiate safe sex, leaving them vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections and unwanted pregnancy.
- Every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world, an adolescent girl dies as a result of violence.
- In emergencies, adolescent girls are especially vulnerable to sexual violence, and in some cases, are abducted and exploited for sexual purposes by armed groups.
- Nearly half (44 per cent) of adolescent girls worldwide aged 15 to 19 think a husband or partner is justified in hitting or beating his wife or partner under certain circumstances.
