U.S. Consul On International Day Of The Girl
[Written by U.S. Consul General Bob Settje]
It is a statistical truth that about half the human population of the world is female, yet it is an equal – and sad – truth that a large proportion of that half does not have the same social, economic, or political opportunities as their male counterparts.
What makes that truth even sadder is another statistical truth: the most prosperous nations on the planet are those where women and girls share in those opportunities; indeed, numerous studies indicate that countries will only progress when girls participate fully in all aspects of society and are protected from discrimination and gender-based violence. Logic dictates that the more opportunity and greater protection for women and girls, the better off nations – and our world – will be.
The United Nations recognized this logic and the need to end gender stereotypes, discrimination, violence, and economic disparities that disproportionately affect girls in 2011 when it first established the International Day of the Girl. Yet so far logic has not been enough.
The statistics are no less grim this year than they were last year, when I raised them in an op-ed celebrating this special day. Two-thirds of the world’s illiterate people are women. Thirty-nine million girls are still out of school. In many places, girls and women still receive inadequate health care and nutrition.
An estimated 10 million girls annually are forced into marriage before they turn 18, and approximately 16 million girls aged 15-19 give birth every year, raising issues of maternal mortality, health risks, curtailed education, and limited economic opportunity.
Empowering girls benefits families, communities, and nations. Data show that when girls are educated, countries are more prosperous economically. Providing girls with an extra year of schooling increases their wage-earning potential by 10-20 percent, and the returns for secondary education are even higher. Girls who are in school are more likely to delay marriage and childbirth, have lower rates of HIV/AIDS and other STDs, and enjoy greater equality at home and in society. Their future children are more likely to survive and be educated themselves.
That is why President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have made advancing the status of women and girls a key priority for the United States. My country is proud to be working in partnership with governments, the private sector, and civil society around the world to ensure that girls – especially in the developing world – have opportunities to make the most of their lives and contribute to their communities.
Hopefully, this year’s International Day of the Girl will inspire us to consider how we can work together to break down the barriers that keep girls from achieving their greatest potential and ensure that all young people – girls as well as boys – have equal opportunities to contribute to their societies and to build brighter futures for themselves, their families, and their countries.
Please join me in celebrating this year’s observance of the International Day of the Girl on Saturday, October 11.
I don’t understand why females are treated so badly in some of these countries. It’s so bizarre how in some cultures they only want and treasure boys and girls are disposable. Of course even in Bermuda we have parents who have their preferences and want one or the other, but you accept and love the child no matter what the sex when they get here.
The sad thing is that many females grow up with this attitude that boys are better and favour them while victimizing their daughters. In one country (won’t name it) the boys are robust and the girls weaker and more sickly because the daughters only get to eat the leftover food after the boys are done…that is absolutely crazy! I can’t imagine feeding my son and then giving my daughter whatever scraps are left over-how could any mother do that? Women need to be educated as well so that they don’t join the men in demeaning themselves and their fellow females…