Women and girls are breaking barriers

IT is true to say parents will not be raising their daughter in a gender-neutral, sexist-free world, but this doesn’t mean it is all bad.
Women are breaking through barriers.
They are achieving more than ever, and levelling the playing field in careers and politics.
Daughters can be raised to be a part of that.
They can be taught to work hard, to challenge the system, and to seek out equality.
The days of girls being restricted to domestic duties are long gone.
Girls can be encouraged to find their voice and not be afraid to use it.
Girls can be taught to question what they have been told, to speak out against injustice, and to fight for what they believe in. The world won’t change without the help of strong women who are willing to stand up and be heard.
Men should raise their daughters to thrive in a world where women can achieve anything.
Yesterday was International Day of the Girl. It was day set aside to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.
Every year since 2012, International Day of the Girl is celebrated on Oct 11.
The United Nations promotes the day to celebrate the potential of girls in different cultures around the world, and to highlight the threats, discrimination and issues facing their well-being.
This year under the theme, With Her: A Skilled Girl Force, the day marked the beginning of a year-long effort to bring together partners and stakeholders to advocate for, and draw attention and investments to the most pressing needs and opportunities for girls to attain skills for employability.
Today’s generation of girls are preparing to enter a world of work that is being transformed by innovation and automation.
Educated and skilled workers are in great demand, but roughly a quarter of young people – most of them female – are currently neither employed nor in education or training. We believe in the power of girls to change this world for the better. Let’s give them the chance.
Too many girls face roadblocks on their journey to adulthood.
Child marriage and adolescent pregnancy force millions of girls to drop out of school.
Harmful laws and social norms curtail girls’ knowledge of and autonomy over their own bodies.
Entrenched gender discrimination can lay the foundation for a lifetime of missed opportunities.
It doesn’t have to be this way.
A different future is possible, and girls themselves are leading the way.
Supporting girls is, above all, a matter of respecting their rights to grow, flourish and make their own choices about the future.
It’s also a path to economic and social progress for us all.
The message from the United Nations Population Fund is that to compete in a fast-changing global economy, countries need to ensure each young person entering the labour market has the skills and knowledge needed to help businesses thrive and nations prosper. That means investing now in a skilled girl force that can become a new force for innovation and leadership.
Education for girls is one of the best strategies aiding girls to claim their power and fulfil their potential.
It is time PNG joins the global community and put more focus and emphasis in girls’ health and education, their skills and their leadership.