The United Nations has declared October 11thInternational Day of the Girl Child. Youngfemale activists in the United Statesand Canadaproposed the day to the UN in 2011 to highlight the challenges of being a younggirl locally and internationally.
These challenges include poor body image, forced marriage,gender based violence, school dropout, and illiteracy among others. Worldwide, only 30% of girls in the world areenrolled in secondary school. One in seven girls in developing countries ismarried off before the age of 15 (http://dayofthegirl.org/girls-issues/).
What can you do to combat these challenges for younggirls?
First, if you are teacher like me, find ways to encouragethe girls in your classes to speak out in class and read outside theclassroom. For every male studentanswering a question, choose a female student to respond. To further encourage female participation,present topics in class that girls can relate to such as female leaders,problems with relationships, self esteem, and self confidence.
Secondly, the purpose of this day is to spread knowledgeabout girl’s issues. Read about genderbased violence and its prevalence or look up articles on sex trafficking ofyoung females across the globe. Once youread about these issues, you can discuss them with others. Through teaching female sensitive topics,reading about girl’s issues, and discussing them with others, you will beempowering young women to see themselves as powerful, confident, and strongyoung women.
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder