Ten young women of Morgan REACT had the honor to visit the United Nations (UN) in New York City on October 11, and sit in at a questionnaire panel of young women to learn how different countries around the world are fighting for equal women and girls rights. Since 2012, October 11 has been marked as International Day of the Girl (IDG). The United Nations celebrates women and girls around the world that fight for equality.
IDG recognizes the power of girls everywhere and wants to educate girls around the world, so they believe they have a chance in making change. By the UN holding a questionnaire panel, women and girls from around the world and women are able to achieve being heard. IDG hopes to raise awareness for not only the issues that girls face, but also what is likely to happen when gender equality is solved.
Each year the UN has a theme for the panel, and this year was ‘Girls’ vision for the future.’ This theme conveys the need for urgent action and persistent hope. This is driven by the power of girls’ voices and their vision for the future. The LAAHA Project, in Indian, means to benefit, gain, advantage and profit, which is why the project was created. LAAHA has been created to provide information on topics that are stigmatized, support women and girls empowerment, and provide help to women and girls who have experienced violence.
Senior, Hannah Sharp, learned how girls can take action and raise awareness about women and girls rights. “It was an amazing opportunity to hear from other girls and their experiences around the world.” Hannah said. The UN and IDG is able to bring women and girls together to be confident, talk about their experiences, and feel heard.
One of the organizers of the entire day, Rayna, said women are the change and they are ready to lead. Basic needs for women are being neglected. At the start of the panel, the organizer started everyone with a slogan. “We are WITH girls, we are FOR girls.” For example, 12 million girls under the age of eight-teen will be forced into marriage, there’s also a lack of education and lack of health care. Senior Aleia Aleman said, “Different countries are completely different from others in what they have for women’s rights. Even in America, we are still fighting for certain rights that we are not gaining.” Aleia expressed how by going to the UN she was able to see women and girls come together and speak up to raise awareness for the women and girls that aren’t considered equal in their country.
Senior, Kasey Allin, said, “It was a positive opportunity for young women to voice their thoughts about new political issues and research.” Kasey said women need to share their struggles and come together to fight against them. Kasey commented, “By going to the UN, it was an amazing opportunity for women and girls to enforce that and talk about their struggles.”
Shelby Mehmet, a REACT advisor and Program Coordinator, has attended a previous IDG when she was a student at Morgan. Shelby said she wanted young women from REACT to attend because she remembers how powerful and impactful it was for her. “I remember how inspiring it was to hear from/meet girls from all over the world who are passionate about the rights of women and girls.” Shelby learned that girls around the world lack the access to mental and physical health care and that self-harm is the second leading cause of death in girls between the ages of 15-19.
According to a young woman, Elena, who was a moderator on the panel from New York, said women’s rights are human rights that should apply to all people. No country has yet achieved gender equality, and they still face many challenges and might risk their lives by speaking up. The United Nations and International Day of the Girl website believes by the year 2030, all countries around the world will provide equal rights for women and girls. To achieve this women and girls should speak up and share their story.