Every October 11th the International Day of the Girla date proclaimed by the General Assembly of the United Nations to recognize the girls’ rights and make visible the challenges they face. In Dominican Republicthis challenge has a clear face: the teenage pregnancy.
According to UNICEF and the Ministry of Public Healthhe 20% of adolescent girls from 15 to 19 years old have been pregnant or have a childa figure that places the country among those with the highest fertility rate in this age range in Latin America, with 77 births for every 1,000 young people.
In 2022 they registered 7,588 births to mothers under 18 years of ageof which 1,708 corresponded to girls 15 years old or youngeraccording to official data. Although the figure has decreased in the last five years, it is still a structural problem linked to sexual violence, early unions and lack of comprehensive sexual education.
The ENHOGAR-MICS survey reveals that one in three young Dominican women were united or married before turning 18despite the fact that child marriage was prohibited by law in 2021. The most affected provinces are Elías Piña, Dajabón, Pedernales and Peraviawhere one in four pregnancies corresponds to a minor.
“The girls have right to live safely, in a healthy way and to receive a educationnot only during their formative years, but also as they mature and become women“, points out the UNESCO on your web portal.
The organization warns that the early pregnancy limits access to educationperpetuates poverty and increases the vulnerability of minors to violence and inequality. More than 147,000 girls They were out of school in 2023many due to maternity or domestic work, according to estimates UNICEF.
The Beijing declaration
He International Day of the Girl It also has its roots in World Conference on Women held in Beijing in 1995, where the member countries of the UN adopted the Declaration and Platform of Beijing actionconsidered as the plan in favor of the rights of women and girls. It was there that, for the first time, the girls’ rights as a global priority.
This 2025 they will be fulfilled 30 years of that event that marked a before and after in the way in which countries face the gender discriminationespecially in access to education. At the moment, 114 countries have included the right to education in their legislation, as a direct result of that pact.
The UN and its agencies remember that defending the rights of girls means building a more equitable, inclusive and prosperous future, where they can be equal partners equality in solving challenges such as climate change, conflicts, the economy, health and sustainability.
“He empowerment of girls is key to advancing gender equality. Supporting them in their training and listening to them is an engine of sustainable development and peace,” highlights the UNESCO.
How do you celebrate this day?
Every year, in different parts of the world, organizationseducational institutions and communities celebrate this date with eventstalks, testimonies of women leaders and educational dynamics to motivate new generations of girls to discover and exercise their rights.
It promotes female leadership from an early age and develop cvisibility campaigns about the challenges that girls face, especially in vulnerable contexts
Activities in the DR
The Dominican Republic also adds to this commemoration. This year, girls and adolescents from various communities have become protagonists and spokespersons at the event titled “Let them speak!”, an initiative that seeks to make their rights visible and strengthen their social participation.
The activity is organized by International RD Planhe National Council for Children and Adolescence (Conani), the Ministry of Women, Supérate, Unfpa and UNICEFas part of a institutional articulation that works to guarantee the girls’ rights and adolescents in the country.
