[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]


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  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