International Day of the Girl

A girl studies at a mosque in the Balukhali Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. Photo: UN Women/Allison Joyce

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Girls are leaders. Girls are change-makers. Girls are driving good and growth around the world. They are a fundamental source of transformational change for gender equality, and technology is a crucial tool to support their work, activism and leadership.

Not all students can continue their education online while schools are closed due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

This October 11 UN Women is joining other UN agencies, civil society, and girls around the world to celebrate International Day of the Girl Child under the theme "Digital generation. Our generation.”Together, we’re calling for equal access to the internet and digital devices for girls’ and targeted investments to facilitate opportunities for girls’ to safely and meaningfully access, use, lead and design technology.

Digital inclusion and literacy open new avenues to learning, earning and leading for girls, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the pandemic has also deepened the gender divide around connectivity and online safety, with girls facing economicand social barriers to internet and device access.

Earlier this year, the Generation Equality Forum set technology and innovation as a priority in global conversations on gender equality. Leaders from civil society, governments, the private sector andyouth movements made commitments to build more inclusive digital societies through providing equitable opportunities to girls, investing in feminist technology and putting girls and young women at the centre of designing and learning solutions forthe digital world.

Watch this space for inspiring stories from girls around the world.

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Kalpa Garg, feminist youth leader from India. Photo: UN Women — From Where I Stand: “Seventeen is too late for children to learn what sexual assault is”

Jesmin Aktar. Photo: UN Women/Mahmudul Karim — From whereI stand: Learning sessions gave me the courage to aim for a career as a police officer and endillegal behaviour against women

Ramida Juengpaisal, 24, from Thailand, is a digital product designer and front-end developer. Photo: Deachawat Sriolankul — I amGeneration Equality: Ramida “Jennie” Juengpaisal, designer and developer of a COVID-19tracker in Thailand

Devishi Jha,18, is climate activist and Director of Partnerships at Zero Hour, an international youth-led climate justice organization. Photo courtesy of Devishi Jha — I amGeneration Equality: Devishi Jha, youth climate activist

Shreen Saroor runs the Women’s Action Network (WAN) in Sri Lanka, a collective of women’s groups that empowers and advocates for women and women survivors of war, violence and other injustices. Photo: Courtesy of Shreen Saroor — I amGeneration Equality: Shreen Saroor, women’s rights activist

Photo: Indrajit Sodha — Iam Generation Equality: Krishna Sodha, Physicist and Social Worker

Nidhi Mayurik. Photo: AKNR Chandra Sekhar — I amGeneration Equality: Nidhi Mayurika, young innovator and space enthusiast

Gaiotree Roy teaches self-defense to girls in her community in Joldhaka, Rangpur, northern Bangladesh. Photo: Mahmud Rahman — I am Generation Equality: Gaiotree Roy, karate and self-defense trainer

Nitya Rathi indulges in her passions at her home in New Delhi, India, on 13 March 2021. Photo: Khushi Singh — I am Generation Equality: Nitya Rathi, 13-year-old Indian gender equality and disability activist

Lauralyn has a message for all. This photo was taken at a restaurant in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 16 March 2021. Photo: Makissa Smeeton — I am Generation Equality: Lauralyn, Filipino advocate for preventing violence against women and girls

The digital revolution should be equal. This Day of the Girl, join us on social media to advocate for girls’ digital access and inclusion across technology and innovation.

Access our social media package in Trello and Dropbox (available in multiple languages),featuring motivational cards, activities, animations, stickers, videos and stories.

Don’t forget to engage by using these hashtags: #DayoftheGirl #GenerationEquality (English); #DíaDeLaNiña #GeneraciónIgualdad (Spanish); #JournéeDeLaFille #GénérationÉgalité (French).

Follow us:

@un_women, @onumujeres, @onufemmes on Twitter
UN Women, ONUMujeres, ONU Femmes on Facebook
@unwomen on Instagram
@unwomenonTikTok
un-women on LinkedIn
un-women on Medium

See our In Focus pages for International Day of the Girl Child in the past: 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012

International Day of the Girl

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Celebrate girls’ tech power on Social Media