Just because they are girls

We need to take care of them. Because in developing countries, your life often goes differently just because you are a girl. We may not be able to imagine this here, in a time when we want to carry our own shopping bags, but it is true. That you have no say over who you fall in love with, that you have no say over whether you want children and when. That you have no say over whether you can go to school and what you will study. And that while learning and studying immediately makes your life so much better.

Did you know that today is International Day of the Girl? If it were up to me, we would make every day a day for girls, but sometimes you need a date to pause just a little longer on something. And if you wonder if it is still necessary, let me present you with the facts.

Fact: In developing countries, 1 in 3 women marries before she is 18 years old.

Fact: Going to school leads to a massive decrease in child mortality, namely 49 percent.

Fact: Teenage pregnancy is the number 1 cause of death among girls aged 15 to 19.

Fact: Child marriage is one of the biggest reasons for girls to drop out of school.

If you think that child marriages are not that bad: they are. In 10 years, 25 million child marriages have been prevented. Imagine, 25 million children who just escaped marriage. And if you think we are far from that in the Netherlands, there are 41,000 circumcised girls and women living in our country, even though it is legally prohibited here. To give you an idea of how many that is: Huizen has 41,000 inhabitants.

Ever heard that as a woman you can only eat after the man of the house has eaten? This is still the case in many countries, and 60 percent of the malnourished people are therefore women. Something that is hard to imagine when you walk through the vegetable aisle of the local supermarket or toss your stir-fry vegetables into the pan.

Plan International stands up for girls, to ensure that they receive, have, and keep equal rights. To ensure that they go to school, because this so often leads to a better and more equal future for all those girls. And honestly, every woman and girl in the world has the right to that.

For more information about International Day of the Girl and what you can do for girls and women around the world, visit the website of Plan International Netherlands