Let’s Celebrate Girls! Day of the Girl – September 22

Let’s Celebrate Girls! Day of the Girl – September 22

By Rathika Sitsabaiesan
MP Scarborough—Rouge River

On March 25, 2011, a motion was unanimously passed in the House of Commons declaring that Canada would lead the effort to have the United Nations declare September 22nd the International Day of the Girl. As we approach September 22, let us stop for a moment and discuss why the International Day of the Girl is needed.

Over 1 billion people on the planet live in extreme poverty; 70% of these people are women and girls who are the poorest of the poor, simply because they are girls. In these communities, women and girls do not have the same rights as men and boys. As primary care providers, they do not go to school, they do not eat unless there is food remaining after everyone else has eaten, they are sold into labour at young ages to provide for their families, and they are not given the same economic opportunities as boys. Research from across the globe has shown repeatedly that girls are more likely than boys to suffer from malnutrition, early marriage, violence and intimidation, trafficking, sex trade and HIV infection.

However, it has also been proven that successful development and aid programs are those that invest in girls. Former United Nations Secretary General, Kofi Annan, said, “There is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls.” Girls have demonstrated time and time again, their ability to transform their own lives and the welfare of their communities. This is because girls share what they know with others around them, they are the heart of their communities, they work to pull their families from poverty, and they take what is invested in them and uplift the people around them. Investing in just one girl will empower her family, improve her community, alleviate poverty, and change the world.

Plan Canada, through its Because I’m a Girl initiative, has been leading the advocacy efforts for the declaration of the Day of the Girl in Canada. Along with pushing parliamentarians to support their cause, they have been leading projects internationally that instil power, ambition, purpose and hope in girls in developing nations. Through these programs, these girls will grow into strong women who contribute and make a difference in their communities.

But the Day of the Girl is not only needed in developing nations, but here at home as well. While we are lucky in Canada to have the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, girls and women in Canada have not yet achieved equity. Women and girls represent the poorest people in Canada as well; they represent the vast majority who give up on education and careers to care for the young, the sick and the elderly. Women still only earn only 71 cents for every dollar earned by a man, and men will make up to 20-30% more than a woman with the same educational background and work experience. Girls in Canada are also more likely to face violence, sexual assault and to enter into the sex trade and trafficking than their male counterparts. The conditions are even worse for racialized and/or Aboriginal girls in Canada. Women in Canada have come a long way, but there is still more work to be done for the quality of the lives of Canadian women and girls.

So as we approach September 22, take a moment to think about the important girls in your life and what you would do to see them succeed. September 22 is the day to honour the girl. Happy Day of the Girl!