[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