International Day of the Girl - October 11

UN poster for International Day of the Girl. A group of young African girls are clapping outside. There is a quote underneath from Ban Ki-Moon which says 'Girls everywhere should be able to lead lives free from fear and violence.'
Flickr | UNAMID

➡️ INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL - October 11

Girls' Rights are Human Rights!

International Day of the Girl is an annual global initiative celebrated by the United Nations since 2012. The day is dedicated to championing the rights and potential of girls everywhere.

This year marks thirty years since the signing of the Beijing Declaration, the most progressive blueprint ever for advancing women's and girls' rights. Since then, progress has been made in education, health, and rights, but many inequalities remain.

The 2025 theme, 'The girl I am, the change I lead: Girls on the frontlines of crisis', highlights the extreme challenges that girls growing up amid war, climate change, poverty, and other crises face. Crises exacerbate stubborn inequalities and create extra barriers which prevent girls from achieving their full potential.

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These infographics make the case for investing in girls and women with focus on specific tasks and goals related to maternal and newborn health, family planning and reproductive health, women's health, education, and equality.
Flickr | Norad - Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation

The State of Girls' Rights

Sustainable Development Goal 5 focuses on achieving real, long-lasting gender equality. In 2023, a United Nations report revealed that Goal 5, like many of the other goals, is falling short of almost all its targets.

The world is failing women and girls.

  • More than 340 million women and girls will still live in extreme poverty by 2030.

  • Worldwide, 119 million girls are out of school. In countries affected by conflict, girls are twice as likely to be out of school as those living in countries at peace.

  • More than 575 million girls live in countries where discriminatory gender norms contribute to violations of their rights, including female genital mutilation (FGM), child marriage, dowries, and societal expectations such as defining the role of girls and women as mothers, wives, and care providers.

  • More than 230 million girls and women alive today have undergone FGM in 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia. FGM is a serious violation of human rights.

  • Globally, 1 in 5 women is married before their 18th birthday.

  • One in three women and girls worldwide has experienced physical and/or sexual violence in their lifetime.

  • There are an estimated 21 million adolescent pregnancies among girls aged 15–19 every year. An additional half a million pregnancies occur annually among even younger girls aged 10–14.

  • More than 8,000 women die as a result of India's dowry system every year.

  • In the last 2 decades, self-harm has been a leading cause of death among adolescent girls.

Crisis, conflict and displacement all dramatically increase the risks of child marriage, violence, and maternal mortality for girls. To achieve gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls by 2030, an additional $360 billion in annual investment is needed.

In Cox’s Bazar, Rohingya women refugees make kites on International Women's Day. This image shows children playing with those kites.
Flickr | UN Women

The Girl I am, the Change I Lead – 2025 Theme

The planet is facing a polycrisis made up of unprecedented levels of war and conflict, massive displacement, soaring levels of food insecurity, the devastating consequences of the climate crisis, slashes to foreign aid funding, the threat of the next pandemic, political polarisation and democratic erosion, and unrelenting inflation.

These threats affect everyone, but young people and especially girls are the most vulnerable and suffer the consequences for the longest.

In times of conflict, girls always suffer the hardest. Child marriage rates double, and the risks of sexual violence, teenage pregnancy, and maternal mortality rocket – all with little or no support for survivors.

In 2023, over 170 armed conflicts were recorded, 612 million women and girls lived within 50km of these conflicts - a 50% increase in the last 10 years.

It has been proven that if girls thrive, we all thrive. This year's theme calls for the recognition of girls' leadership in times of crisis. Women's and girls' voices often go unheard, and this year aims to change that by not only listening but putting words into action.

Girls are stepping up in the face of today's challenges; they are organising, fighting for justice, and demanding an end to violence and the cycle of poverty.

A woman at an an abortion rights protest holds a large sign that says 'Girls just wanna have fundamental rights'.
Matt Hrkac | CC BY 2.0

Girls' Rights for a Better World

The challenges that girls face simply because of their age and gender mean that we have to push even harder to increase awareness of gender inequality and the adversities girls face as a result of humanitarian crises.

International Day of the Girl recognises that these issues persist year-round, but this day draws global attention to their plight, sparks conversations, and encourages policy change. By prioritising the needs and opportunities of every girl, we can help to build a more just and prosperous future for everyone.

Advocating for girls' rights is not just an investment in their future, but in the future of humanity.

Author: Rachael Mellor, 10.10.25 licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

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