October 11

October 11 is International Day of the Girl.

It’s also National Coming Out Day, which is important. I love seeing America becoming more accepting through people on social media, but then I’m reminded about how far we still have to go when the Supreme Court still has to hear cases about whether or not you can be fired based on your sexual orientation. It’s an important day to remind people to be your true self. I’m here, and so are many, many other people, even if the people you come out to are not.

However, while I have seen a lot of posts on social media for National Coming Out Day (which I am not upset about, this is a needed day for visibility), I have not seen many posts about International Day of the Girl. This is important, too.

The 11^th of October has been the International Day of the Girl since 2012. The day was set aside by the UN to promote girls’ empowerment and address their needs worldwide.

The past few years, I have learned a lot about the challenges other girls have to face throughout the world. While the United States is far from perfect, and some of these issues exist in our communities, I am lucky to have the opportunities and protections that I do have here.

Here are some of the challenges we need to address for women in this world:

One of the biggest things that sticks out to me is the lack of opportunity many girls have to get an education. According to the Malala Fund, 130 million girls are out of school worldwide due to child labor, early marriage, conflicts/wars, gender bias, health, natural disasters, or poor quality. According to Half the Sky, roughly 1 in 5 girls are not in school that should be. The UN reports that more than 2/3 of the 796 million illiterate people in the world are female. And education is what helps women in many aspects of life – according to Half the Sky, women with education have better jobs, better wages, less involvement with crime, lower rates of victimization, later marriages, fewer children, and better health. According to the UN, educated women are also more likely to be able to make decisions within their households.

Human trafficking is also a major issue for women. According to Half the Sky at least 3 million women and girls are trafficked for sex, which is a low number, since many women and girls are forced into prostitution within their own countries (trafficking by definition includes the crossing of a border). AIDs is a major issue that comes with human trafficking and forced prostitution. And, according to the UN, between 66-90% of AIDs caregivers are women, which makes them vulnerable to their own infection in rural, developing areas.

Maternal health is a problem, too. 1,000 women die from childbirth or pregnancy complications daily according to the World Health Organization. Women deal with so many different health issues that I can’t even write about all of them in a post like this, but please look into them.

Women also lack a lot of rights worldwide.  Employment is not equal. Poverty and hunger rates are higher for females. And in many countries, land titles are most likely to me held by men, so even in situations like natural disasters, they cannot claim any funds for reconstruction.

Violence against women is a worldwide problem. According to Half the Sky, 30-60% of women experience sexual or physical violence by their husband or boyfriend. 1 in 3 women deal with beating within their homes. And according to the World Health Organization, up to 70% of female murder victims are killed by their male partners. 1 in 5 women experience rape or attempted rape in their lifetime. The issues of violence are perhaps the most prevalent in the United States, though we are not immune to these other problems, either.

So, what can we do to help girls and women worldwide?

Two foundations I know a bit about are the Malala Fund and Dressember –

Malala Fund: Malala Yousafzai was a girl who was shot by the Taliban for speaking up for girls’ right to education. She survived, (won the Nobel Peace Prize) and started the Malala Fund, which works to provide education for girls worldwide. You can learn more about her story and their work, as well as donate at https://www.malala.org/.

Dressember: Each year, advocates worldwide accept the challenge to wear a dress (or tie) every day of December. This is a conversation starter to raise money for Dressember’s partners to fight human trafficking. You can go to https://www.dressember.org to sign up to be an advocate this year!

You can also go to Half the Sky’s website, http://www.halftheskymovement.org/pages/act.html, to find other organizations and partners, as well as learn more about issues women face worldwide like female genital cutting, child marriages, and hygiene.

There are local ways you can get involved, from mentoring a girl or helping provide feminine hygiene products to girls in your area (the lack of these products can be a factor in lower school attendance).

  

On Social Media:

Write a positive body image message. Body image issues can cause females to miss school and work or stay indoors.

There are many, many ways to support women worldwide, either by donating or supporting large campaigns and organizations, or focusing on one specific issue that you find needs the most work. And no matter what, you can always learn more about these issues (I suggest reading Half the Sky, I Am Malala, (there are also documentary versions of these books – Half the Sky, and He Named Me Malala which is on Netflix). 

Happy International Day of the Girl!

- Han