“Out Time is Now , Our Right , Our Future”
“Girls Participating in Decision Making and politics ‘
Report by:Haffiya Elyas
This IDG2022, girls are changing the face of politics. They want to be recognized and valued as drivers of lasting political change.
The National Council of Child Welfare and Combating Violence Against Women, we conducted the Decision and Policy Makers Dialogue Forum with participation of more than 100 persons from (decision and policy makers, girls and women activists, women rights CSOs, Media, Ministries, donors, embassies, INGOs, UN agencies, private sectors and Plan senior management and staff).
The participants standing with girls to participate in decision making and political process in Sudan
The Deputy Country Director of Plan International Sudan, Mwape Mulumbi, said that the International Day of the Girl came to shed light on the challenges faced by girls around the world and to fulfill their rights to participate in all aspects of political, economic, social, and other fields, in addition to their right to decision-making.
Mwabe added that the idea of establishing the International Day of the Girl began when representatives of Plan International met with the Canadian government by forming an alliance that seeks to designate an International Day of the Girl to highlight their issues, adding that in Plan International we strive for the rights of children and girls against any violations they may face, calling on all Leaders and governments to work to ensure the rights of girls and their participation in decision-making and to express their opinions in all aspects of life, stressing the activation of deterrent laws to prevent violence against girls, recognizing the great role they play in their societies and supporting them to participate positively in public life.
For his part, the Secretary-General of the National Council for Child Welfare, Dr. Abdul Qader Abdullah Abuh that the United Nations announced in 2011 its decision to have a girl’s day to celebrate it every year, and it would be a day to recognize the rights of girls and girls and to stand up to the great challenges and address them in order to promote their rights, protect them and provide them with opportunities in education and health and end all social practices Harmful to the physical, psychological and social health of girls and prevent all violations of exploitation and physical violence that would limit their active participation in the present and the future.
In a press release to plan International said, As Plan International, we will celebrate this year with the launch of year five of the Girls Get Equal Campaign, as indicated above, with the theme ‘Equal Power Now’. In the last 10 years, there has been increased attention on issues that matter to girls amongst governments, policymakers and the general public, and more opportunities for girls to have their voices heard on the national, regional and the global stage. However, investments in girls’ rights remain limited, and globally, girls and young women are left out of the decisions that impact their lives. They are excluded from the decisions that affect them in their homes, schools and corridors of powers.
It is time for all of us to stand in solidarity with, and accountable to girls and young women.
Plan International is calling on all to invest in a future that believes in their agency, leadership and potential. In particular stakeholders can consider doing the following:
Decision makers at all levels must institutionalise the meaningful and safe participation of girls and their groups through the adoption of fully resourced and accountable policies, strategies and frameworks.
National and local governments must ensure access to diverse and inclusive pathways toward political participation: including resourcing and strengthening civic education and leadership opportunities and facilitating girls’ inclusion in local decision-making processes.
Governments and social media companies must address the violence experienced by girls and women when they participate in decision-making by adopting a zero-tolerance approach to violence. The media can support by promoting positive images and by calling attention to violence experienced in both online and offline spaces.
UN, governments, and civil society should recognise girls’ vital and distinct role in civil society and provide accessible resources so that girls’ organisations are resilient and sustainable in the face of crises and external threats.
We recognize and value the political knowledge and experience that girls and young women already have, and to identify recommendations for how to best support girls’ and young women’s political participation as current, as well as future political actors.
Plan International Sudan’s Country Strategy has explicit influencing and advocacy programming to support children, particularly girls, young women and youth, to enjoy their right to protection and gender equality, so that all children, all girls and young women can learn, lead, decide and thrive.
Girls and young women, in all their diversity, have the right at local, national and international levels, to take part in the decisions that affect their lives
