The International Day of the Girl Child, declared by the United Nations, falls annually on 11th October. Why is it needed?
Because every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world, an adolescent girl dies because of violence. Because 41,000 girls are forced into marriage every day. Because, in humanitarian emergencies, gender-based violence often increases, subjecting girls to sexual and physical violence, child marriage, exploitation and trafficking.
In other words, girls face multiple challenges simply because of their gender.
Even here in London - our proudly tolerant and outward-looking city - girls are suffering too. A new survey by girls’ rights charity Plan International UK has found that more than a third of girls in London have received unwanted sexual attention or contact such as being groped, stared at, catcalled and wolf-whistled while wearing their school uniform in public. 16 per cent said their first experience of unwanted sexual attention or contact in a public place was when they were 12 years old or younger.
Period poverty, meanwhile, is a national shame and this shouldn’t be the case in 21st century Britain:
One in ten have been unable to afford sanitary wear;
One in seven have struggled to afford sanitary wear;
One in seven have had to borrow sanitary wear from a friend due to affordability issues.
But on this day, let’s make sure that we also celebrate the good news. In May this year, I’m pleased to note that my constituency of Islington appointed its first ever women and girls champion. In fact, it’s the first role of its kind in London. Kadeema Woodbyrne is working to highlight what more can be done to protect the rights of women and girls, as well as championing services designed to support them.
Let’s hope that my constituency’s pioneering actions will be replicated elsewhere. Because girls and boys are equal. We must demand the world treats them that way.