[Federal Register Volume 86, Number 196 (Thursday, October 14, 2021)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 57309-57311]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2021-22584]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 86 , No. 196 / Thursday, October 14, 2021 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 57309]]
Proclamation 10284 of October 8, 2021
International Day of the Girl, 2021
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
The growth and development of the world's economies,
institutions, and nations rest on all girls having
equal rights and opportunities. Ensuring that girls can
reach their full potential is not just a moral
imperative, it is a strategic one as well. The status
of women and the peace and prosperity of nations are
inextricably linked. When girls do well, we all do
well. When we invest in the education of girls, our
communities are healthier and our economies are
stronger. When we empower girls to lead, our peace
processes, global health and humanitarian efforts, and
climate negotiations are more sustainable and
resilient. When we invest in women- and girl-led
movements, our democracies grow more stable and more
prosperous. On this International Day of the Girl, we
commit ourselves to ensuring opportunity and equality
for all girls.
Girls across our Nation and the world face gender bias
and discrimination, subjecting them to harmful
circumstances that impede their safety, stability,
education, and opportunity. This has been especially
true during the COVID-19 pandemic, which has upended
the lives of too many girls around the globe,
exacerbating disparities and underscoring what we have
long known: that during times of crisis, girls--
especially girls of color and those from underserved
and low-income communities--face disproportionate
challenges.
In the United States, girls contend with entrenched
barriers to achieving gender equity. Despite Title IX
protections, girls continue to lack equal opportunity
and resources in education and leadership, and gender
stereotypes continue to inhibit their participation in
science, technology, engineering, and mathematics
(STEM) education, undermining their access to the
stable and good-paying jobs. Girls' education is
further undermined by the threat of sexual assault,
harassment, and other forms of gender-based violence,
with 1-in-4 young women on college campuses today
facing sexual assault. Girls of color and girls from
underserved communities contend with additional
longstanding disparities. Black girls experience
disproportionate rates of school discipline and are
overrepresented in our juvenile justice system. LGBTQI+
girls face elevated rates of gender-based violence and
are subject to bullying, harassment, and online abuse.
Transgender girls are increasingly excluded from sports
and equal access to school facilities. Girls with
disabilities face inequitable access to education.
Globally, girls confront persistent and structural
barriers that impede their full participation. Even
before the COVID-19 pandemic, 130 million girls across
the world were not in school, and today, there are an
additional 11 million girls who have been forced to
stop their education, undermining future economic
growth, health, and development. An estimated 33,000
girls are made to enter into child, early, or forced
marriages every day, fueling an intergenerational cycle
of poverty that is difficult to break. Girls face a
range of other challenges, from harmful practices like
female genital cutting to unintended pregnancy and from
discriminatory laws and exclusion from civic and
political processes to concerns about safety,
harassment, and sexual assault. Too often, social norms
that ascribe low value to girls'
[[Page 57310]]
lives functionally limit their rights and opportunities
across public and private life.
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened preexisting public
health, economic, political, and caregiving crises,
which disproportionately impact girls worldwide. As
health systems become more strained, girls face
increased barriers to accessing basic health care. In
many parts of the world, those who are part of
vulnerable and marginalized communities continue to
face challenges in accessing routine childhood
immunizations, preventative screenings, and sexual and
reproductive health services. As schools closed,
caregiving burdens fell on girls across the globe, and
girls were often significantly less likely to have
access to the devices required for virtual schooling
due to a global digital gender divide. Many countries
have also reported a rise in rates of gender-based
violence, both offline and online, including against
female journalists, activists, and leaders who are
being further excluded from critical rebuilding
efforts. The mental health of girls--who already
disproportionately face high incidence of reported
anxiety and other mental health issues--is also
suffering. We have also seen an increase in visits to
emergency rooms of teenage girls across our Nation for
reasons related to self-harm, including suicide
attempts. An essential part of building back better
must be elevating the status of girls as we address
these shared crises.
On this International Day of the Girl, our Nation
stands firmly and proudly in our commitment to
protecting and advancing the rights of girls, in all
their diversity, both at home and abroad. That is why,
earlier this year, I signed an Executive Order to
establish the White House Gender Policy Council and
ensure a whole-of-government approach to advancing
gender equity and equality. This month my
Administration will release the first-ever United
States Government National Gender Strategy, outlining
our vision and our priorities to advance equal
opportunity for people of all genders. From combating
gender discrimination in education and preventing
gender-based violence offline and online, to increasing
pathways to STEM and promoting gender parity and
diversity in leadership and democratic processes, my
Administration will work to empower girls in every
facet of life. And by recognizing the constraints that
gender-based violence places on the lives of millions
of girls around the world, we will also develop the
first-ever United States National Action Plan on
Gender-Based Violence and update the United States'
Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based
Violence Globally.
Our vision for the future is one where every girl can
live free from violence, discrimination, and bias. We
are committed to a future where girls can dream boldly
and lead ambitiously as heads of families, communities,
corporations, and governments; where their voices are
not only heard, but amplified; and where they can lead
the charge against 21st century challenges, drive
innovation, and compete and succeed in the workforce of
the future.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of
the United States of America, by virtue of the
authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws
of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 11,
2021, as International Day of the Girl. I call upon the
people of the United States to observe this day with
programs, ceremonies, and activities that advance
equality and opportunity for girls everywhere.
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IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
eighth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-one, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
sixth.
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2021-22584
Filed 10-13-21; 11:15 am]
Billing code 3395-F2-P