UNION of ISTANBUL WOMEN’S ORGANİZATIONS
PRESS RELEASE
October 11, INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD
is not a day to celebrate, it is rather a day to turn the clock back
to the problems and solutions.
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child;
In Resolution 66/170 unanimously adopted by the United Nations General Assembly declaring October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child, the United Nations General Assembly underlined that the girl children are not equal in enjoying children’s rights and that any support to the girl children would prevent discrimination and violence against them and would strengthen them, which is beneficial in social means.
Since 2012, October 11 has been a day on which calls are made for the girl children to enjoy rights such as rights to education, health, security, nutrition, development equally and to end discrimination and violence against girl children.
The United Nations decides on a main theme for the International Day of the Girl Child every year.
In 2012, Child Marriage was brought into agenda and possible solutions were investigated. In the following years, “Innovative Approaches in the Education of the Girl Children”, “Strengthening the Girl Children in order to Break the Violence Cycle”, “Power of the Girl Children in Attaining Sustainable Development in line with 2030 Vision”, “Strengthening the Girl Children in crisis, pre and post-crisis periods”, “Unscripted and Unstoppable Power of the Girl Children” were the main themes under which the problems were discussed and possible ways for solution were sought while action plans were drafted.
The main theme selected for 2020 “MY VOICE, OUR EQUAL FUTURE” will be the theme to be discussed worldwide for a year from October 11 onwards and the calls of the girl children will be taken into consideration.
In 2020, the girl children shout out: “My Voice, Our Equal Future”.
As the Union of Istanbul Women’s Organizations, we demand a secular, scientific-based education to the girl children which make up 29% of the total population in Turkey. We ask for;
– extraction of any information which would enroot gender-based discrimination from the curriculum and non-compromise to mixed education,
– abolition of 4+4+4 interrupted education, which decreases the schooling of the girl children and re-introduction of uninterrupted basic education,
– prevention of child marriages which has exceeded 232 thousand in the last 6 years,
– application of a decisive state policy in order to protect the girl children from negligence and abuse and mindful consideration of the girl children, and elaborate satisfaction of their demand for an equal future.
Nazan Moroğlu, Coordinator of the Union of Istanbul Women’s Organizations
