Plan Australia visit: Because I Am A Girl

Last week we were very honoured to have some ambassadors from Plan International visit the Gecko's offices.

Plan is one of the oldest and largest children's development organisations in the world, and its Because I am a Girl campaign is helping the world to understand how gender inequality and discrimination affects girls in many societies.

Their stories
Four remarkable women helped bring to light the very serious, and unfortunately, the very prevalent issue of early marriage in some communities. Elizabeth from Zambia and Rubi from Bangladesh were accompanied by two chaperones, and together they spoke to us about their personal experiences with early marriage and the impact Plan has had in their own lives.

We heard that each year, 10 million children are forced into marriage before they are 18. These children come from countries like Africa, Asia, the Americas and the Pacific. That's the equivalent of 25,000 children per day. It's unimaginable.

Many of the issues surrounding this are cultural, and the fact that early marriage is seen as a private business and not discussed in public. And despite many policies being in place, it is the implementation of these that is the problem.

Through her interpreter, 16 year old Rubi explained how her parents tried to force her into marriage at age 14. She approached Plan representatives in her community, and also spoke to teachers in an attempt to get her parents to change their minds. Despite her best efforts, they refused. It took many months of work on Rubi's behalf, but with the help of her supporters and some local government representatives her parents finally agreed to cancel the marriage.

Rubi now works for Plan, a strategy the company employs to actively involve children and empower them to make change in their community. She said that her relationship with her parents is now stronger than it ever has been, and they also attend Plan meetings and lectures and are involved in spreading the positive message.

Elizabeth also works for Plan. She is an active member of the Matanda Basic Child rights club as well as the Anti AIDS club. She told us the story of a friend who got pregnant when she was just 15 years old. This girl's parents wanted her to quit school and get married, but she wanted to finish her studies instead. Through her involvement with Plan, Elizabeth was also able to change the attitudes of this particular family and her friend was able to complete her studies and was not forced into an unwanted marriage.

The campaign
The Because I am a Girl campaign aims to fight gender inequality and promote girls’ rights in order to lift millions of girls – and everyone around them – out of poverty.

The campaign is based on an annual series of reports published by Plan International titled Because I am a Girl: The State of the World’s Girls. The reports examine the rights and needs of girls throughout their childhood, adolescence and as young women – and how they are uniquely placed to break the cycles of intergenerational poverty gripping many people in developing countries.

We would like to thank Plan for bringing these inspirational women into our lives, and to shine a light on this important issue.

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