Girl Force: ‘Unscripted and unstoppable’
International Day of the Girl Child is commemorated globally every year on the 11th of October.
Zimbabwe National Family Planning Council (ZNFPC) through its Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health (youth-friendly) programme join the rest of the world in celebrating International Day of the Girl Child. The day calls for a world where every girl and woman can realize all her rights, such as to live free from violence, to attend and complete school, to choose when and whom she marries and equal opportunities to socio-economic development.
This year’s theme, ‘Girl Force: Unscripted and unstoppable’, aims to celebrate achievements by, with and for girls since the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action signed nearly 25 years ago.
Issues affecting adolescent girls and young women include among others, teenage pregnancy, child marriage, education inequality, legal rights, gender-based violence, menstrual hygiene management and self-esteem.
Over the years, we have seen more girls move from dreaming to achieving. More girls today are attending and completing school, fewer are getting married or becoming mothers while still children. The progress since the Beijing Declaration is remarkable, but girls around the world especially those living in rural areas or humanitarian settings and those with disabilities still need us to stand with them to achieve their full potential.
ZNFPC remains determined to recognize the rights of women and girls as human rights. As ZNFPC we established and support 27 Youth Centres across all provinces in Zimbabwe through the Adolescent and Youth Sexual Reproductive Health programme. The programme is implemented in urban and rural communities to support young people with age appropriate information and clinical services to make informed choices regards their reproductive health and rights. Reducing teenage pregnancy and ending child marriage enables adolescent girls the prospect to explore educational opportunities.