Statement made on 18 October 2011 by Senator Grant Mitchell
Hon. Grant Mitchell:
Honourable senators, I am pleased to speak to you about Plan Canada's initiative, "Because I Am a Girl." This is a tremendous Canada-wide campaign that aims to put an end to discrimination against girls around the world.
The sad reality is that girls in the poorest areas of the world must overcome extraordinary obstacles to survive and grow, simply because of their gender.
In the poorest countries, 50 per cent of girls do not go to secondary school. Sixty-five million girls are denied a basic education. Girls are three times as likely to be malnourished as boys. Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for young women between the ages of 15 to 19 worldwide.
However, it has been proven that investing in the education of girls and young women is essential in alleviating poverty, not only for the girls themselves, but also for their communities, countries and the entire world.
The five-year campaign aims to engage one million Canadian girls and women as part of a movement to raise funds and to raise awareness of the plight of millions of girls in developing countries.
I congratulate the organizers of the campaign on their most recent success: an online petition urging Canada to take the lead and propose a United Nations resolution that will proclaim September 22 the International Day of the Girl.
An international day would create a foundation for advocacy to ensure that girls get the investment and recognition they deserve as citizens and as powerful agents of change. The United Nations General Assembly will examine Canada's proposal this fall.
I congratulate the "Because I Am a Girl" campaign organizers on their leadership, and I encourage Canadians to visit their website at: www.becauseiamagirl.ca to learn how to join the movement.