Ensuring girls are not left behind | TheCable
On this International Day of the Girl Child, KELIN celebrates the power, resilience, and potential of girls in Kenya and around the world. The theme, Girls’ Vision for the Future, highlights the hope that exists in the future for the girl child and the role they play in shaping it.
One essential aspect of realizing this vision is ensuring that girls have access to sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). For the Kenyan girl child to fully envision a future where she can flourish, she must first have control over her body and reproductive choices. Access to contraception, comprehensive sexuality education, and menstrual health products empowers girls to make informed decisions about their bodies and lives.
Without these vital SRHR services, girls are more vulnerable to early pregnancy, unsafe abortions, and sexually transmitted infections, factors that severely limit their educational and economic opportunities. Such barriers can trap girls in cycles of poverty and gender-based violence. By advocating for comprehensive SRHR access, we not only safeguard their health but also help them build a future where their rights are respected, and their voices heard.
Efforts to achieve SRHR go hand in hand with the larger struggle for gender equality. Inequality affects every part of a girl’s life from education and healthcare to her ability to make decisions about her future. Harmful practices like child marriage, female genital mutilation, and gender-based violence disproportionately affect girls, stifling their potential and perpetuating cycles of discrimination and oppression.
KELIN remains steadfast in its commitment to dismantling the social, legal, and cultural structures that reinforce gender inequality. By challenging these norms and advocating for equality, we ensure that girls receive the same rights, opportunities, and protections as boys. Empowering girls in this way not only transforms their lives but also strengthens entire communities.
As we reflect on this year’s theme, we recognize that girls are powerful agents of change. They have the ability to shape a better future for themselves and their communities. When communities unite to uplift girls, the possibilities for their futures become limitless. Girls deserve a world where their dreams are supported, their rights protected, and their voices heard.
At KELIN, we envision a future where every girl in Kenya can access quality education, healthcare, and justice. A future where she can receive SRHR services without fear or shame, where her opportunities are shaped by her potential rather than her gender, and where she can live free from violence, child marriage, and harmful cultural practices. Together, we can make this future a reality.
Let’s take action to empower every girl’s vision for the future. Families, leaders, and communities must come together to play a crucial role in shaping this future, by:
- Supporting education, ensuring every girl stays in school and is equipped to succeed.
- Promote health by providing access to SRHR services and eliminating harmful practices like child marriage and FGM.
- Challenging restrictive gender norms by valuing girls equally and creating safe spaces free from violence and fear.
