Around the world, girls are driving change. They are activists and advocates in the front lines of social and racial equality movements. They call for urgent climate action and demand space at decision-making tables in their societies, countries and other countries.
The theme for this year’s International Girls’ Day, “My Voice, Our Equal Future”, highlights how girls everywhere are leading the way to create the world we all want and deserve. Girls – their rights, voices, talents and dreams – are the foundation of the world we want.
Here are just eight girls who are changing the world that you should know about.
Julieta Martinez, Chile
Julieta Martinez, is a 17-year-old climate and gender equality activist who founded an organization to empower girls and young people. Tremenda’s Collaborative Platform works to encourage young people’s social impact within their communities. It engaged young people on major global and societal issues, including the environment, integration, gender, health and welfare and education. Julieta is also a member of the UN Working Group on Equality between Women and Men, which places young people at the center of dialogues and review processes during the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most comprehensive international agreement on women’s rights and equality.
Latifatou Compaore, Burkina Faso
Latifatou Compaore, 14, learned the spirit of resistance from her mother. After undergoing female genital mutilation and seeing another girl die because of it, Latty’s mother undertook never to endanger the safety and health of her own daughters. After hearing his mother’s story, Latty took up his activism and demanded an end to the practice of FGM. She uses her talent as a singer to spread the word about how harmful FGM can be. In 2018, UNFPA celebrated Latty and other girl activists like her who are working to end the harmful practice.
Greta Thunberg, Sweden
This 16-year-old activist became the face of a global movement for climate change in 2019. Thunberg’s movement began with her skipping school and camping out in front of the Riksdag, demanding measures to protect the planet for future generations and growing a global strike. In September 2019, Thunberg sailed across the Atlantic on an emission-free boat to speak at the UN climate summit in New York, where she condemned world leaders for their lack of action.
Samaira Mehta, USA
Samaira Mehta is already 11 years old and is already the founder and CEO of Coderbunnyz and Codermindz, two board games that introduce children to the concepts of computer programming and artificial intelligence. She is also the creator of the “Yes, One Billion Kids Can Code” initiative, which aims to help one billion children have access to STEM and coding tools by 2030. Samaira added her voice to the UN Women’s Campaign for Generational Equality in years and gave tips on how to close the gender difference in STEMS.
Millie Bobby Brown, United Kingdom
Best known for his role as “Eleven” in the hit series Stranger Things, Millie Bobby Brown is also a strong advocate for children’s rights. As a UNICEF Ambassador for Goodwill, the actor uses his voice to draw attention to issues that children face around the world, including lack of education and safe spaces and the effects of violence, bullying and poverty.
Neha, Nepal
Neha is a girls’ rights and gender equality activist who grew up in a slum area in Kathmandu, Nepal. She started her activism in community girls and youth clubs where she tackled issues from trafficking in children to gender-based violence. Now, as a Plan International Global Young Influencer, she is an inspiring grassroots campaigner and leader of the Mahila Ekta Samaj Girls Network in Nepal, uniting girl activists from the 10 great slums of the Kathmandu Valley. Neha is also a program presenter in Nepal’s radio program # CoolKids.com, where she raises awareness about sexual exploitation and harassment of girls online. Before International Day of the Girl Child, Neha joined UN Women and Plan International for a conversation on digital youth activism.
Jakomba Jabbie, Gambia
Jakomba Jabbie, 16, is a strong advocate for the education of all girls in The Gambia, especially in science and technology. Jakomba’s activism began within her own school when she founded a robotics club after seeing that girls were not encouraged to pursue technology and innovation courses and careers. The future flight technician is an important inspiration for all girls who want to conduct STEM studies and always emphasizes the importance of giving girls space to excel in the areas where they are underrepresented. In 2019, Jakomba shared her story with UN Women during the 63rd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where she participated in a side event on equality between women and girls.
Sofia Scarlat, Romania
Sofia Scarlat is a 17-year-old student from Romania. She founded Girl Up, Romania’s first ever gender equality organization and works to promote gender equality through the prevention of domestic violence, sexual violence and human trafficking. She is also a strong advocate for comprehensive sexual education and promotes legal aid for minors of gender-based violence. In October 2020, Sofia was announced as a new member of the UN Working Group on Women’s Generation of Gender Equality Youth.
Source: sn.dk