Fight for girls! Join in the struggle for girls’ rights
“Boys and girls should have the same rights! It is unfair that we can’t go to school and have to do all the housework, while boys are allowed to study and play,” says Sanjukta, 12, from India. She is one of millions of children all over the world who are less valued just because they are girls.
T
he rights of the child apply to all children, girls and boys alike. But girls are often treated worse than boys. Half of the world’s children are girls, but many more boys than girls go to school. Girls are poorer, hungrier, and more likely to fall ill than boys. They work harder, are likely to be victims of violence, and are forced to marry when they are still children themselves. It is also harder for girls everywhere to make their voices heard and be able to make decisions over their own lives.
Girls for sale
One of the worst violations of the rights of the child is the child sex trade. Children all over the world are exploited as sex slaves and in pornography. Most victims are girls. But now girls all over the world are fighting back with the help of the World’s Children’s Prize! And lots of boys are helping too! Fighting together
From this year on, hundreds of girls are training to be World’s Children’s Prize Child Rights Ambassadors. Many of them have themselves experienced violence, abuse and extreme injustice. They learn about their rights and about how life is for girls in their country and all over the world. Then they help children to start their own World’s Children’s Prize Child Rights Clubs. In a Child Rights Club, children work together to: • Raise awareness of the rights of the child • Tell people what life is like for girls • Make their voices heard • Demand respect for the rights of the child, for boys and girls alike! And much more! On pages 17–39 you can read about girls’ rights and about the child sex trade. The Swedish Postcode Lottery has made it possible for the World’s Children’s Prize to collaborate with ECPAT Sweden to defend girls’ rights and combat the child sex trade.
16
I demand respects for girls’ rights!