Blog

International Day of the Girl – Joan and Clare’s Reflections

As part of our Day of the Girl celebrations, we spoke to Ugandan gender equality activists Joan (19) and Clare (21) about why celebrating the International Day of the Girl is important to them, how Coronavirus has affected women and girls in their community and why they will continue to strike for women’s rights:

“According to the World Health Organisation, there are more boys than the girls born each year. That means for every 105 males, there are 100 girls born. The international day of the girl was introduced to recognise the challenges that the girl child faces in different parts of the world.

We must also celebrate the girl child for defeating the social systems in the world that do not fully support them and yet they have to compete with the male species. On this day, we remind the world that girls of all age, race, and religion have the right to be safe, a right to proper housing and shelter just as the boys have. On this day, we have the opportunity to continuous demand for the respect of the our rights, to send out a message that girls have the potential to change the world as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, household heads and political leaders .

Through collaboration across world, we are able to get a range of solutions to the challenges that the girl child has been experiencing. By working together, different voices are able to be heard, we are able to advocate for equal representation globally using the enormous skills brought in through worldwide participation. Every voice out there has a story to tell and every story has a solution to give. There is strength in numbers knowing that the fight for the girl child is joined by millions of people across the different sectors in the world. It is through global partnerships that the day of the girl child will continue to motivate all girls out there to fully maximise their potential.

With the coming of the Corona pandemic, we have watched violence against girls rise globally. In Uganda, our home country, there have been over 3000 cases of domestic violence reported. In all these the girl child is largely the victim. One woman in my home area has to undergo surgery in order to save her arm which has severe injuries brought upon by her husband. On A global scale, sexual reproductive health services have been hindered because of the restrictions in movement to minimise the spread of the Corona Virus.

We continue to strike as a way to create awareness to the women out there, to remind them that they have rights and should fight for them and stand up against violence towards women. Our societal systems have to be corrected. We need to see girl education promoted. Through this, women independence is to be achieved.”

“Human rights Are Women’s rights And Women’s rights Are Human rights.“

Follow Joan and Clare’s advocacy journey on their instagram – Joan.and.clare