International Day of the Girl Child (11.10.17)

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On this International Day of the Girl Child, organized by the UN, France reaffirms its commitment to defending girls’ basic rights and their access to education.

We are working at the national level and within multilateral bodies to end all forms of gender-related violence and to fight unequal access to education, nutrition, justice, and health.

On October 9, the minister for Europe and foreign affairs hosted Malian, Senegalese and Franco-Cape Verdean representatives of the NGO Plan international on the occasion of the publication of its report “Unlock the power of girls now.” Discussions touched on obstacles to girls’ empowerment such as pregnancies and early marriages as well as the difficulties of sending girls to school, and change agents such as access to quality education and participation in political and community life. In partnership with UNICEF and UNESCO, we are working with this NGO in Cameroon, Senegal, and Togo to combat gender-related violence in schools, the main obstacle to girls’ education, notably through community outreach and raising awareness among educational staff, the courts, and the police.