Observed annually, the International Day of the Girl Child is a key global moment to celebrate girls everywhere, amplifying their voices, actions and leadership. It is also a time to reflect on the unique challenges and opportunities of providing a safe environment for girls to overcome their specific barriers.
Many girls across the country are disproportionately affected by global crises of climate, conflict, poverty, and pushback on hard-won gains for human rights and gender equality. Too many girls are still denied their rights, restricting their choices and limiting their futures.
Exacerbated by poverty and other cross-cutting barriers such as cultural biases, gender stereotyping, inadequate and uncoordinated funding and weak governance and financial management, this poses a threat to the progressive development and potential leadership of our society and economies in the country.
In my policy and governance work, I have first-hand experience witnessing the resilience of our beautiful Kenyan girls, especially those coming from pastoralist and marginalised communities like myself, whose only hope and success is through access to education, even in the face of the disparities and challenges they encounter.
Girls across the country can express themselves fearlessly, take up leadership roles from schools to public spaces, promote good governance, and fight against all forms of violence, the most persistent being gender-based violence and retrogressive cultural practices. Girls’ voices are becoming stronger and they have a vision for their future—one that is inclusive, fair, accountable, sustainable and progressive.
Making this vision a reality requires substantial sustainable action. Access to quality education remains a significant challenge that greatly impacts the future of our girls.
From education being underfunded to the state facing challenges in enforcing the comprehensive laws and policy frameworks designed to protect and implement the right to education, which aligns with international human rights treaties this has only led to an increase in systemic inequalities in girls’ education.
Currently, Kenya is facing rising cases of gender-based violence, teen marriages and pregnancies, which rob many girls of their futures. The government and all actors must collaboratively adopt a multisectoral approach to strengthen protection and implementation mechanisms to ensure all existing laws and guidelines are followed and adhered to, protecting girls from harmful practices.
On this International Day of the Girl Child, we must remain committed to addressing inequalities in resource allocation and advocating for better public finance management so we can empower the next generation of girls to thrive.
We must also amplify their voices and support their visions for a successful future. Progressive and inclusive policies must be developed and implemented to prioritise girls’ rights, socio-economic empowerment, and access to quality education and healthcare.
Most importantly, we must all take note and listen to what girls want because they are ready to lead, and we must ensure we create an enabling environment for them. The future of our girls lies in our hands.
Nellie Chepkemoi is vice chair at WeCare CBO in Kenya. She is a public policy, gender, leadership and public accountability expert, as well as NALA Fellow. Email: nellylngt@gmail.com.
