UN celebrates International Day of the Girl Child in Osh
11 October 2018
- On 11 October more than 600 young people gathered in Osh to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. The event was organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) with the support of the British Embassy in the Kyrgyz Republic, the Osh regional administration and the Osh city administration.
The International Day of the Girl Child is celebrated annually on 11 October. The main aims of the day are to promote girl’s empowerment and fulfilment of their human rights while also highlighting the challenges that girls all over the world face.In Kyrgyzstan the problems faced by girls remain quite acute: 25% of girls in the country do not continue their education after 9th grade; 14% of girls aged 15-19 are in early marriage or living in a marriage union and have increased health risks due to early pregnancy and early age at first childbirth; 54% of girls are abused by the parent / guardian; 31% of girls aged 15-19 are prone to anemia.
“I would like every girl in Kyrgyzstan to have the opportunity to make her dreams come true. For this, every woman and man in Kyrgyzstan must make a commitment to end discrimination, child marriage, bride kidnapping and break stereotype to motivate and create a space where every girl could realize her potential. Girls are the present and the future of Kyrgyzstan, ”said Ozonnia Ojielo, the UN Resident Coordinator in Kyrgyzstan in his appeal.
At the event, successful girls of various professions and their relatives gave motivational speeches, among them were Zere, who became famous after release of a video clip for the song "Kyz" and her father, Asylbek Zhoodonbekov, artist Nariste Aliyeva, Ainura Amanalieva co-founder of Ololo group of companies and others. At the end of the event, the song-anthem of girls “Kyz Kadyry” was performed, the soundtrack of the short film “Ala-Kachuu” (“Abduction”, 2018). Stella, a symbol of the International Day of the Girl Child, was officially transferred from the Forum of Women Deputies of the Kyrgyz Republic to the representative of the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic in Osh province. It is expected that the stella will be transferred from one province to another on annual basis to symbolize incurrence of liability and commitment of province governors to actively promote girls’ rights and their empowerment.
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