    [United States Statutes at Large, Volume 128, 113th Congress, 2nd Session]
    [From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]

    PROCLAMATION 9191--OCT. 10, 2014

    Proclamation 9191 of October 10, 2014

    International Day of the Girl, 2014

    By the President of the United States of America

    A Proclamation

    In every community across the globe, girls and women should have the
    opportunity to learn, grow, and achieve their full potential. All
    nations have a responsibility to protect the basic human rights of all
    people, and when they do--when girls and women are fully valued as equal
    participants in a country's politics and economy--societies are more
    likely to succeed.
    But throughout the world, too many girls and women are subjected to laws
    and traditions that serve only to oppress and exclude. Gender-based
    violence--from domestic violence and human trafficking to genital
    cutting and early and forced marriage--condemns girls to cycles of
    dependence, fear, and abuse. Harmful cultural norms and prejudices that
    tell young women how they are expected to look and act deny the dignity
    and equality we want for all our daughters. On International Day of the
    Girl, we stand with girls, women, and male and female advocates in every
    country who are calling for freedom and justice, and we renew our
    commitment to build a world where all girls feel safe, supported, and
    encouraged to pursue their own measure of happiness.
    Promoting gender equality and lifting up the status of girls and women
    have been central to my Administration's national security strategy and
    foreign policy. We are supporting quality education for girls around the
    world, advancing policies that enable women and families to live
    healthier lives, and investing in programs that help nations prevent and
    respond to violence against girls and women. We are also working to end
    human trafficking, a crime that affects far too many communities both
    here at home and around the globe, and of which many victims are girls
    and women.
    As we work to transform the lives of girls and women abroad, we have
    also redoubled our efforts to ensure there are no barriers to their
    success here at home. Vice President Joe Biden's 1is2many initiative is
    raising awareness about the high rates of teen dating violence, and my
    Administration is engaging school districts, college students, and
    community members as part of our effort to end sexual assault and
    domestic violence. Through the Affordable Care Act, we have expanded ac

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    cess to quality, affordable health care to more girls and prohibited
    insurers from charging them extra simply because of their gender. We
    continue to invest in community efforts to reduce teen pregnancy. And we
    have made it a priority to educate and inspire our youngest girls by
    increasing opportunities for high-quality preschool. As they grow, we
    will make certain they receive the education and training needed to
    succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow--jobs that we are working to
    ensure will offer equal pay for equal work.
    As Americans, we must see the hopes and dreams of our own girls and
    realize that these are the same dreams of girls around the world. We
    cannot afford to silence the girl who holds the key to changing her
    community, or the voice that speaks up to call for peace or further
    scientific discovery. We cannot allow violence to snuff out the
    aspirations of young women in America, and we must not accept it
    anywhere in the world. Today, we resolve to do more than simply shine a
    light on inequality. With partners across the globe, we support the
    girls who reach for their future in the face of unimaginable obstacles,
    and we continue our work to change attitudes and shift beliefs until
    every girl has the opportunities she deserves to shape her own destiny
    and fulfill her boundless promise.
    NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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, 2014, as
    International Day of the Girl. I call upon all Americans to observe this
    day with programs, ceremonies, and activities that advance equality and
    opportunity for girls everywhere.
    IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of
    October, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the
    Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-
    ninth.
    BARACK OBAMA