International Day of the Girl 2023

Since October 11 was designated as International Day of the Girl, Manos Unidas has been working to protect the human rights of more than 600 million girls and adolescents between the ages of 10 and 19 in the world.

To alleviate the injustice suffered by many minors, she… organized It allocated approximately 2.5 million euros to projects aimed at improving the living conditions of these girls in different regions of Asia, Africa and America. These projects cover different areas such as: Access to health (With programs focusing on girls’ hygiene, ensuring a safe and healthy environment); Quality education (with programs in elementary schools) and Social and economic empowerment (Financial Education) and others.

“To narrow the huge inequality gap that still separates men and women – primarily in countries of the South – it is essential to ensure that girls have access to quality education from an early age.” María José Hernando, from the Department of Manos Unidas Studies.

Currently, 1 in 5 girls still do not complete the first cycle of secondary school, and about 4 in 10 girls do not complete the second cycle. The digital divide is also wide. About 90% of teenage girls and young women do not use the Internet in low-income countries, while their male peers are twice as likely to have access to the Internet.

to Hernandowomen who have been trained since childhood will have more opportunities to safely navigate the digital world, and this will also allow an increasing number of women to become agents of change in their families, in their communities, and in their countries.

“Therefore, women and girls will become more aware of their rights and will be able to demand them for themselves and other women around them.” Announce.

Other projects affect Preventing violence against women and girlsAs well as ensuring their access to justice in cases of violence. And Work is being done to combat human trafficking and child marriagefighting so that girls don’t have to become mothers early.

The numbers are alarming: 1 in 4 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 have experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of their partner at least once in their lives. Teen pregnancy is one of the leading causes of death among adolescents. As if that were not enough, 7.1 million girls were forced into child labour, especially domestic tasks.

Protecting girls’ rights in Peru

joint effort between United hands And your local partner, AmouthaYou see the light with him Regional human rights training schools project for adolescents in Cusco, Peru.

The main goal of this program is to strengthen the leadership and empowerment capacities of adolescents in this Andean region, so that they can challenge and overcome patriarchy and fight for their rights to freedom and independence. It was implemented in six governorates: Bukartambo, Quispicanche, decal, Urubamba, You And Cusco. 48 adolescents enrolled in the first cohort, of whom 42 were active participants.

The majority of participants are bilingual (with Quechua as their mother tongue) and reside in rural communities. Ages range from 12 to 17 years.

Training includes topics such as history Women’s rightscitizenship, democracy, political participation, gender violence prevention, advocacy and spokesperson skills, among others.

There is no doubt that today’s girls will be tomorrow’s adults. Let us protect your rights. Addressing all these issues is urgent and necessary to ensure that girls have equal opportunities, quality education and a safe and healthy childhood.