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INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD

EMPOWER GIRLS

Before, during and after conflicts

BUSHRA ZULFIQAR
WOMEN and girls are central to the success, growth and prosperity of any country. They often constitute the largest population group in a society and have immense and equal potential to contribute in the development of their country. There is a broad range of evidence from well-developed countries which
suggests that empowering women, economically, politically and socially, has direct benefits for economic growth and leads to sustained increase in income levels.
However, women empowerment does not happen in a vacuum nor does it occur in isolation. It starts from a very early stage, especially in the formative years of life when brain and personality development is still in process. It is in the young girls that the seeds of selfconfidence and healthy self-esteem have to be sowed. It is from the very beginning, in early years of childhood, that girls have to be brought up having equal opportunities as boys with strong self-awareness. They need to be equally valued, respected and accepted for who they are rather than how they are expected to be.
Scientific research suggests that as soon as a girl child is enrolled in primary school, her social conditioning starts. She is restricted to dress, behave, play and even eat like girls. These discriminatory attitudes are debilitating and weaken the naturally gifted potential of a girl child. They are also prevalent everywhere—to varying degrees across different contexts but they pose one of the greatestchallenges of our times.
Today, there are 1.1 billion girls in the world who deserve equal opportunities, chances and prospects for a better future. However, a vast majority of them live in deplorable conditions, often stuck in a perpetual cycle of poverty, discrimination and even violence. Every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world, a girl dies of violence Out of the 60 million out-of-school primary-aged children in the world, 50 percent are girls. Across the world, girls are more likely than boys never to set foot in the classroom. Even today, in 2018 when technology has taken human discovery to new heights, there are still many communities and families across the world who
prefer boys' education over girls, provide early and better food to their sons before the daughters get to eat, and provide access to medical health facilities only to the male child. This happens due to a deep-rooted mindset of son preference which not only grossly neglects the needs of a girl child but also puts girls at an extremely high risk of malnutrition and disease, lack of education and hence self-reliance. In humanitarian emergencies, gender-based violence often increases subjecting girls to sexual and physical violence, trafficking, child marriage and exploitation. Adolescent girls in conflict settings are 90 percent more likely to be out of school as compared to girls in normal, conflict-free settings. This severely compromises their future prospects of acquiring financial autonomy and making the right choices later in life. This is the biggest opportunity as this constituency of 1.1 billion girls can play a transformative, life-changing role in shaping the future of their families, communities and countries at large.
On this Day of the Girl Child, we all have a collective moral obligation and responsibility to come together as a human family and re-commit ourselves to ensuring that our girls, irrespective of their colour, caste, geography and economy, are well-protected, nurtured, educated, well-fed and celebrated. They have the energy, vibrancy and creativity the world badly needs to overcome all its difficult and complex problems. Young girls are brimming with talent and potential and like everyone else they too have dreams and desires to be fulfilled.
We all have to do our bit and play our part. Governments have to come up with policies and development programmes which prioritise the needs of women and girls. These programmes have to be adequately well-resourced so they can result in tangible gains for disadvantaged girls. For development practitioners, girls-focused and sex-disaggregated data has to be an important part of prioritisation and designing of interventions, directly benefiting girls. Social activists have to forge partnerships with public influencers, politicians and media to ensure that no matter what happens, the rights of a girl child will always be fulfilled. Her voice will always be heard for she is as unique as anyone else and deserves to be celebrated. The world can benefit and heal so much with #GirlPower.
Bushra Zulfiqar Is Director, Education, Save the Children.