It starts with the girl.

It starts with the girl. And the possibilities of becoming what she is, which are, in fact, endless.

A girl may look like she spends every ounce of her precious time daydreaming about all things mundane. But hey, try not to underestimate her – she can dream BIG, y’know.

A girl can be a girl and be smart. She can rock the intellect, armed with choice schoolbooks and rapier wit.

A girl can be a girl and have enough talent or creativity to paint the town red.

A girl can be a girl and profess to the world that there’s absolutely nothing she can’t do, like use power tools, solve complex equations or make a scientific discovery.

A girl can be a girl and spot discrimination a mile away, or right in her face. She can address the double standards of society – a world where boys seem to have more privilege – by simply challenging the status quo. She can show everyone a thing or two about equality.

A girl can be a girl and be a leader of the pack. She can spearhead campaigns and raise issues about quality education, conservation of resources, and how girls and women are represented in the media.

A girl can be a girl and recognize stereotypes for the potential-wreckers that they are. And that no one should deprive of her right to chart her own course.

A girl can be a girl and be headstrong without necessarily being stubborn. She can speak her mind and not be afraid to disagree. She can keep on trying, face her fears, because in the end, this is what makes her strong.

A girl can be a girl and make a clear distinction between self-confidence and the need to look good in her Sunday best.

A girl can be a girl and think about her rights. She has the capacity to learn all about them, to be able to recognize how these rights have initially been fought for and think up of interesting ways to let everyone in on them. And the timing couldn’t be more perfect than now – and it doesn’t end here.

A girl can be a girl and find the fun in all this, and more!

Truth be told, not all girls can rock the status quo at the same pace. Some take it up early. Others may need a bit of time to figure it out, especially during the long and somewhat arduous transition from girlhood to womanhood. Bottom line is, whatever the case may be, it’s never to late too know about our rights, let alone brush up on them.
There are a few hard-hitting facts about discrimination that girls and women should know about:

• Women account for two thirds of the world’s illiterate adults.
• There are more boys getting an education than girls worldwide.
• Not only are women earning three fourths of what men earn, but they are also doing twice the amount of unpaid work that men do.
• The health concerns of women are more often than not overlooked or ignored.
• When it comes to positions of power, women are vastly under-represented.
• Globally, violence against women has reached epidemic heights.

Consider us lucky, though – we’ve had the UN on our side. They’ve been around to promote equality between the sexes. And as far as the rights of girls and women go, they’ve kept their radar on to advance our cause throughout the years. But somewhere along the way, something pivotal has come along to complement it, taking on the form of an international bill of rights for women. It’s a well-kept secret that everyone should be in on. back to top