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The U.N Secretary-General: â€œGirls face discrimination, violence and abuse every day across the worldâ€

11 October 2012 09:58 (UTC +04:00)

Baku. Anakhanym Hidayatova â€“ APA. â€œGirls face discrimination, violence and abuse every day across the world. This alarming reality underpins the International Day of the Girl Child, a new global observance to highlight the importance of empowering girls and ensuring their human rightsâ€, said U.N Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in his message on the International Day of the Girl Child, U.N Office in Baku told APA.

The U.N Chief stressed, â€œInvesting in girls is a moral imperative â€“ a matter of basic justice and equality. It is an obligation under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women. It is also critical for achieving the Millennium Development Goals, advancing economic growth and building peaceful, cohesive societies. For this inaugural day, the United Nations is focusing on the issue of child marriage. Globally, around 1 in 3 young women aged 20 to 24 -- approximately 70 million -- were married before the age of 18. Despite a decline in the overall proportion of child brides in the last 30 years, the challenge persists, particularly in rural areas and among the poorest. Child marriage divorces girls from opportunity. It jeopardizes health, increases exposure to violence and abuse, and results in early and unwanted pregnancies â€“ an often life-threatening riskâ€.

Ban Ki-moon urges Governments, community and religious leaders, civil society, the private sector, and families â€“ especially men and boys- to promote the rights of girls, including through the relevant Conventions, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development: â€Let us be guided by the theme of todayâ€™s observance â€“ â€œmy life, my right, end child marriageâ€ â€“ and let us do our part to let girls be girls, not bridesâ€.