International Day of the Girl Child 2024
Girls' Vision for the Future
Press statement
11 October 2024 - For immediate release
Celebrating the International Day of the Girl Child
ActionAid Zimbabwe (AAZ) joins the rest of World in celebrating the annual International Day of the Girl Child, reaffirming our commitment to prioritizing and empowering the girl child. This year’s theme, "Girls’ Vision for the Future," urges us to support the vision of today’s generation of girls, who are disproportionately affected by global crises, particularly climate change.
AAZ acknowledges the efforts made by the Government of Zimbabwe (GoZ) in implementing policies that protect girls from child marriages and other harmful practices. However, these policies alone without commensurate awareness programs, will not yield the intended results. AAZ, therefore, urges the GoZ, to invest in programs that support girls’ health, education, and economic opportunities.
As noted in a recent ActionAid International flagship report on the global climate crisis, entitled “How the Finance Flows: Corporate Capture of Public Finance Fuelling the Climate Crisis in the Global South”, girls are disproportionately affected by climate change and 14 times more likely to die from climate disasters as compared to boys. Climate change and the existing economic and gender inequalities exacerbates existing gender inequalities, through expectations that girls will leave school earlier than their brothers when family income is affected by crop failure and that women and girls will walk long distances to fetch water when wells dry up. Girls may be married off by parents when families cannot afford to feed them, exposing them to gender based violence, early pregnancy and depriving them of schooling.
AAZ appeals to GoZ, to act urgently to address these pressing issues and invest in girls' education, ensuring that every girl has access to quality education and the resources needed to succeed. Education is a powerful tool that can break the cycle of poverty and empower girls to advocate for their rights.
ENDS//
For further inquiries please contact ActionAid Zimbabwe Country Director, Joy Mabenge:
Email: joy.mabenge@actionaid.org
Mobile: +263 772904479
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ActionAidZim
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ActionAidZimbabwe/
Website: https://zimbabwe.actionaid.org/