Many of us do not know about the existence of a special holiday - the International Day of Girls. It was approved by the UN General Assembly in December 2011. A resolution to celebrate this day was put forward by the Canadian Minister for Women's Affairs, Ron Ambrose.
The history of the International Day of Girls
Marriages in childhood - this problem is relevant not only for countries in the Middle East or Asia. In Russia, for example, in the 18th century girls could get married from the age of 13, in the 19th century this age was increased to 16 years. In developed Italy girls became brides at the age of 12. And on the far islands of the Pacific Ocean, girls are even now married at birth.
According to world statistical studies, every third girl who has not reached her fifteenth birthday is already entering adulthood. Marrying in childhood, girls become completely dependent on their husbands. They can not receive proper education, and their formation as a person becomes simply impossible. It is the low level of intellectual and intellectual development of a small woman that does not allow her to resist the violence of adults.
Forcing an early marriage is a direct violation of human rights. This has a very negative impact on the life of the girl, depriving her of her childhood. In addition, child marriages, as a rule, lead to early pregnancies, and to this the girls are completely unprepared either physically or morally. Moreover, an early pregnancy can be dangerous for the life of a small woman. UN experts believe that girls who are forced to marry are practically slaves both in family and in sexual relations.
On what date is International Girls Day celebrated?
According to the UN resolution, the International Girls' Day is celebrated annually, starting from 2012, on 11 October. The organizers wanted to draw the attention of the whole public to the problems connected with the rights of girls all over the world. These are unequal opportunities in obtaining education in comparison with representatives of the male sex, lack of medical care and adequate nutrition, protection from violence and discrimination. Especially acute is the problem of early marriage and coercion of the girl to marry in childhood.
The very first celebration of the Girls' Day in 2012 was devoted to the early marriages of girls. In the next, 2013, this day was devoted to the problems of girls' education. It's no secret that in our time, just like many years ago, many girls are deprived of the opportunity to learn. There are many reasons for this: family financial difficulties, domestic concerns of a married little woman, insufficient quality of education in underdeveloped countries. The celebration of the International Girl's Day in 2014 was held under the motto of stopping violence against teenage girls.
This year, in his message on the occasion of the holiday, the UN Secretary-
How to celebrate the International Girls' Day?
On October 11, various themed events for the International Girl's Day are held in all countries: meetings, seminars, events and photo exhibitions that highlight the facts of violence against girls, gender discrimination, and their incitement to an early marriage. On this day, brochures and leaflets are distributed calling for respect for the rights of girls throughout the world.