Who is the Girl Child?
trafficked individual
school dropout
(or never attended)
child prostitute
a runaway
victim or survivor
of gender-based violence
a girl mother
Every October 11, THINK joins the global observance of the International Day of the Girl, a UN-led initiative raising awareness about the challenges girls face worldwide.
Every girl has the fundamental right to be free from discrimination, violence, and abuse and to live in a world where she is protected, respected, and loved.
By recognizing this day, we reaffirm our commitment to help end gender-based violence, promote education, and ensure that girls have access to healthcare, opportunities, and a safe environment in which to thrive. By recognizing this day, we reaffirm our commitment to help end gender-based violence, promote education, and ensure that girls have access to healthcare, opportunities, and a safe environment in which to thrive.
What Are Matta's Chances
Matta woke before dawn, wrapped her lappa around her waist, and grabbed the plastic bucket by the door. The line at the well was already forming—girls barely older than nine waited their turn. A few of the older girls whispered while they waited. Another girl in the neighborhood went missing—lured away with promises of work or education.
Matta kept silent. Her fears were different. The secret she carried weighed heavy on her mind. An uncle had taken what wasn’t his to take, leaving her with a gnawing dread—was she now with child? By the time she returned home, her arms ached. She washed quickly and dressed in her faded blue uniform.
“Eat quickly,” her mother said, pressing a dry piece of bread into her palm. It wasn’t much, but Matta knew better than to complain. She ate as she tied back her hair.
School was a privilege, one her mother fought hard to secure. The long walk to school didn’t bother Matta; it was a path to something better. Here, she wasn’t just another girl struggling to survive—she was a student, someone with dreams. She imagined herself in a crisp dress, sitting behind a desk in a big office in the city.
For now, she was safe. For now, she could learn. But what about next month? Would she still be here, or would she be forced to leave school, her belly swollen with an unwanted child?