- Effects of climate change such as droughts which results in famine can make girls miss school due to the lack of water.
- For instance, when there is no water, women and girls are forced to travel long distances, often in unsafe conditions, in search of this life-saving commodity.
Image: HANDOUT
On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child.
The annual event is aimed at recognising girls’ rights around the globe while addressing existing and emerging challenges facing them.
It is imperative to point out that there have been gains made over the last decade notably in access to education for our girls and mechanisms to end Gender-Based Violence.
However, limited attention has been geared towards girls’ involvement in climate change despite its concurrent crises.
In my experience working with girls, especially from rural marginalised areas, I have noted that girls are breaking precincts and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion.
Amid the Covid-19 pandemic, I observed girls going over and above in voicing their concerns when the country reported high cases of teenage pregnancies and other forms of Gender-Based Violence including Female Genital Mutilation.
Girls championed safe spaces and were determined to create a world where the future of every girl mattered.
This year International Day of the Girl Child themed; Our Time is now, our rights, our future comes at a time when girls are increasingly becoming more vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
Research suggests that girls and young women are the hardest hit by climate change.
Despite this, their voices are not satisfactorily represented in climate change deliberations, resulting in policies that do not address their specific needs.
Effects of climate change such as droughts which results in famine can make girls miss school due to the lack of water.
For instance, when there is no water, women and girls are forced to travel long distances, often in unsafe conditions, in search of this life-saving commodity.
This means that the very same girls will have to drop out of school exposing them to increased risks of gender-based violence such as forced marriage.
If not addressed, by 2025, climate change could keep more than 12 million girls from completing their education every year.
Girls are key drivers of change. They are already on the leading edge of this crisis.
Yet, they continue to face barriers to fully exercising their right to participation and involvement in governments’ and development partners’ climate action plans.
It’s time for the government and all stakeholders to make targeted investments in consulting and engaging girls for a holistic approach to addressing this time bomb pandemic.
Head of Advocacy and Communications, Dandelion Africa
Edited by Kiilu Damaris