United Nations International Day of the Girl Child

What Growing Up in Canada Has Taught Me About the Lives of Girls Everywhere

October 11th, United Nations International Day of the Girl Child, gives us the opportunity to reflect upon the advantages of growing up as a girl in Canada. Many of the things that we take for granted are unfortunately, not offered to young girls around the world. In some corners of the globe, girls do not have the opportunity to go to school, to work, to drive a car or even to speak their mind freely. What to us may seem like everyday things, to girls in the developing world and countries ravaged by natural disasters or conflict, may seem like unattainable ideals.

This year the theme is “My voice, our equal future” and girls across the world have made three demands: 

• to live free from gender-based violence, harmful practices (such as child marriage and genital mutilation), HIV and AIDS
• to learn new skills towards the futures they choose
• to lead as a generation of activists accelerating social change.

A shocking statistic that I just learned is that 650 million girls worldwide have been married as children, and over 200 million have undergone female genital mutilation. These girls are taken out of school when they are married and never get the opportunity to make friends, play during recess and grow up surrounded by children their age. When I was younger, I would dread getting up at 7 or 8 in the morning to get ready for school. Now thinking about that just makes me realize how lucky I truly was to have that opportunity.

The UN estimates that approximately 1 in 4 girls between the ages of 15 and 19 are neither employed nor in school. This is particularly shocking when it is compared to the boys’ statistic: 1 in 10. Now as a student at Carleton University, I can’t imagine what school would be like without having women as peers and professors. I find that living in Canada, it’s sometimes easy to lose sight of the harsh realities that many girls face while living in other parts of the world.

I recently asked one of my professors, Dr. Marylynn Steckley, about her thoughts on the inequalities that girls face and the changes that need to happen worldwide. This is what she had to say: “We know that around the world, girls have less access to basic education. A whole slew of factors keep girls from the classroom - domestic responsibilities, the privileging of boys for school funding, lack of confidence, gender discrimination, and stigma. And look, if you think gender inequality in education is only a problem in the so-called Global South, think again. Just last year when my son was struggling in French, his teacher told me "Well you know, this is natural. I hate to say it, but girls are better at French, and boys are better at math." The stigma runs deep.

In my mind there are two changes that need to happen moving forward: young girls need material supports to participate in meaningful learning opportunities. This means funding for girls and their families, so that they can have equal opportunity to sit at the table, and resources devoted to increasing gender-inclusive learning environments. And an ideological shift at the societal level. Get with the times; girls have the same brain power as boys, stop making them feel small. There are so many RBG’s, Frieda Kahlo’s and Wangari Maathai’s out there whose learning and growth is restricted by their anatomy. Let's stop this, and finally give girls the start that they deserve, our societies will be better for it!”

It’s amazing to see the same opportunities that I have been afforded, extended to more women and girls who come to Canada as immigrants or refugees. Women like my mom, who moved to Canada right before having me, changed career paths and created a life for my family here. Or all of my international student friends from university that are so connected to their individual cultures but can’t imagine living anywhere other than Canada.

When thinking about powerful, influential young women, the list of examples that comes to mind is long. I think of Malala Yousafzai, an outspoken advocate for education and equal opportunities for young women. She was born in Pakistan to a school-teacher father who made sure that she had the same access to education as boys. At the age of 11, the Taliban took over her village and per their orders, she was no longer allowed to go to school. She became a target once she started speaking out publicly about the right of girls to get an education and in 2012 was shot in the side of her head while on a school bus. Malala recovered, moved to the UK with her family and attended Oxford. She continued to be an advocate for girls worldwide and is the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize.

I also think of Greta Thunberg, a 17-year -old environmental activist, who caught the attention of people across the planet with her school strike against climate change. This inspired youth around the world to take part in their own school strikes and motivated many more to get involved in other ways. Greta has spoken at the UN, has had essays published by Swedish newspapers and inspired a generation of activists against climate change.

Finally, I think of Yeonmi Park, who escaped North Korea at the age of 13 and became a human rights activist. She and her mother fled, travelling through China and Mongolia, where the two of them were trafficked, sexually assaulted and sold like animals. Once reaching South Korea, Yeonmi and her mother were finally free. Yeonmi spoke out at numerous engagements about the brutality of the Kim regime and life under dictatorship. She spoke about her escape during her speech at the One Young World Summit and continues to speak out against the gross violations of human rights in North Korea, today. There are millions of other young women who influence those around them with their bravery and strength and we should never forget how truly powerful young girls are.

So, on October 11th, I challenge you to think about how different your life would be without all of the amazing, courageous women in your field of work or in your life. All of these women were once the same age as the young girls all over the world that are fighting for the chance to learn, to be respected, to break free of gender stereotypes and to have the same opportunities as everyone else.

Millie Lazovic, Carleton University Student