International Day of the Girl Child: Launch of the ‘National Campaign on Adolescent Girls’

Launch of the 'National Campaign on Adolescent Girls'

WHAT: Ministry of Gender, Labour and Social Development in collaboration with UNICEF and other UN agencies will launch the 'National Campaign on Adolescent Girls,' on the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC), a day designated for promoting the rights of girls and addressing the unique challenges they face. The campaign aims at highlighting the importance of increasing focus and investments for the adolescent girl-child.

WHEN: Monday, October 12, 2015 from 08:00am to 02:00pm.

WHERE: Mukono Zonal Agricultural Research Development Institute- NARO, grounds.

WHO: Hon. Janet K. Museveni, First Lady of the Republic of Uganda, will be the Guest of Honour

WHY: According to the Uganda Demographic Health Survey, 57% (20 million) of Uganda's population are children and of these, 10.2 million (51% of children) are girls and 2,750,000 are adolescent girls aged 13-19 years. Unfortunately, issues of adolescent girls are not prioritised and have slowly disappeared from the development agenda and public awareness. Many adolescent girls are subjected to child marriage, teenage and unwanted pregnancies, HIV/AIDs, Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), violence in school and in the community, while thousands fail to complete school. The 'National Campaign on Adolescent Girls' therefore aims at prioritising and investing in policies and programmes tailored to the distinct needs of adolescent girls. With the right investments, support and interventions, adolescent girls have the power and potential to transform families, communities, nations and the world.