International Day of the Girl Child is put up by the United Nations to celebrate the importance, power, and potential of girls around the world and the 11th of October of every year is approved for the celebration. It is also a day to highlight girls’ needs, the particular problems they can face and how to drive efforts that will meet these needs and for them to fulfill their rights not just on benevolent level but, in partnership with them that is towards getting them involved in all that concerns their lives.
The International Day of the Girl Child focuses attention on the need to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights. A lot of our girls are married before age 18. One in five girls experienced sexual violence and other Gender based violence’s. A high percentage of adolescents in our society infected with HIV are girls and this is disheartening.
No decision for girls should be made without them. It is pertinent to let us know that their involvement in every plan or action for their lives, they are side tracked and they need to be involved.

Girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are neither employed nor have education compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age. While there are girls and young women reaching out for the stars and opening doors and opportunities, there are still a lot of doors that need keys to be opened.” Online harassment of girls has become normalized. This is what social media companies can do. Social media companies need to have government policies in place that will make then act on stopping harassment on girls.
The 2020 theme of International Day of the Girl is “My voice, our equal future is a striking call to recognize girls’ inheritance of the still-unfinished Beijing Agenda, their expertise on the challenges they face especially for their sexual and reproductive health rights and their limitless capacity as change-makers. We therefore must continuously as leaders more especially as Social workers advocate and work towards putting our girls and their rights at the centre of decision-making processes.

COVID-19 has been a huge challenge for adolescents and young people, and especially for girls and young women. Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during their critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads, and political leaders. An investment in realizing the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future, one in which half of humanity is an equal partner in solving the problems of climate change, political conflict, economic growth, disease prevention, and global sustainability.
• Educated girls will be able to break boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion, including those directed at children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities.
• Educated girls will be able to break boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion, including those directed at children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities.
• Lead as a generation of activists accelerating social change. The best tool to lift girls out of cycles of exploitation is access to education.
• Live free from gender-based violence, harmful practices, and HIV and AIDS.
• Learn new skills towards the the future they choose.
• Lead as a generation of activists accelerating social change.
When our girls can be employable with appropriate education with concrete knowledge, when they aren’t forced to marry, when they are able to achieve their full potential, they create a ripple effect that lasts their lifetime and for future generations. Empowered girls become empowered women in the workforce who fully leverage their income-generation to improve maternal health, reduce child mortality rates and eradicate malnutrition for entire communities. They will be able to live free from gender-based violence, harmful practices HIV and AIDS etc.

Action need be taken with the involvement of the girl child to advance the rights of our girls and young women. This will assist in achieving the following using this year’s theme of the Celebration:
• Eliminate all forms of discrimination against girls.
• Eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices against girls.
• Promote and protect the rights of girls and increase awareness of their needs and potential.
• Eliminate discrimination against girls in education, skills development and training.
• Eliminate discrimination against girls in health and nutrition.
• Eliminate the economic exploitation of child labour and protect young girls at work.
• Eradicate violence against girls.
• Promote girls’ awareness of and participation in social, economic and political life.

When the girl child and all are involved leaving no one behind, our society development will be assured and the following can be the order of life:
• Leaving healthy life
• Good Education for our children
• Safety and Security
• Poverty eradication and other requirements of life.
When our girls can be employable with appropriate education with concrete knowledge, when they aren’t forced to marry, when they are able to achieve their full potential, they create a ripple effect that lasts their lifetime and for future generations. Empowered girls become empowered women in the workforce who fully leverage their income-generation to improve maternal health, reduce child mortality rates and eradicate malnutrition for entire communities. They will be able to live free from all violence, harmful practices.

In conclusion
With all highlighted above, I want us to do all we can to achieve gender equality and women’s empowerment is integral to each of the 17 goals. Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals will we get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all, and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations.

Facilitated by Pastor (Mrs.) Odedele Eunice Yinka, the Executive Director of Gender Equality and the Girl Child Development Foundation (GEGCDF.)