13/10/2025
International Day of the Girl Child. Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe
📌International Day of the Girl Child 📌
The Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe joins the global community in commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child under the powerful theme, 'The girl I am, the change I lead: Girls on the frontlines of crisis.' This theme is a vital acknowledgment of the resilience, ingenuity, and boundless potential of Zimbabwean girls who are
not passive recipients of aid, but active agents of change, organizing in their communities to combat the triple threats of climate shocks, economic hardship, and persistent social crises. As we celebrate the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, we reiterate that achieving gender equality hinges on seeing
girls not just for the challenges they face, but for the transformative solutions they bring. Too often, however, their voices are unheard, their actions ignored, and their rights pushed aside. Girls are not waiting for a better world; they are boldly building it, and we must match their courage with tangible action.
The Government of Zimbabwe has affirmed its commitment to protecting and empowering the girl child through its Constitution and by ratifying several regional and international instruments, including the SADC Protocol on Gender and
Development, the Beijing Platform for Action, the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), and its own National Girls' and Young Women's Empowerment Framework. This commemoration is a critical opportunity to ensure that these policy promises translate into a lived reality for every girl across the nation.
On this International Day of the Girl Child, the Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe calls on the Government of Zimbabwe and all stakeholders to stand with girls and support their leadership by taking specific actions aligned with national, regional, and international commitments including to:
1. Share Girls’ Stories and Celebrate Their Achievements (Leadership & Participation): We call for the effective review and implementation of the National Girls' and Young Women's Empowerment
Framework to promote the girl-child’s effective participation in decision-making and leadership at all levels—household, community, and societal. This must involve actively creating platforms and allocating resources to amplify girls' voices and achievements, thereby fulfilling the commitment under the Beijing Platform for Action(Critical Area L: The Girl Child) and the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development to challenge and eliminate discriminatory gender stereotypes that limit their public leadership roles.
2. Advocate for Change and Protect Girls’ Rights (Legal and Policy Reform): We demand the full and urgent enforcement of legal frameworks that protect girls. This requires immediately strengthening the judicial and law enforcement mechanisms to ensure that the Marriages Act (2022), which sets the legal minimum age at 18, is
upheld through timely and visible prosecutions for child marriage. This is a non-negotiable step to meet the constitutional obligation to protect children from abuse and exploitation (Section 78) and uphold the principles of the CRC and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child, ensuring that the law is a shield, not
just a promise.
3. Create Girl-Led Spaces (Protection and Empowerment): We urge the Government to adequately resource,operationalise, and scale up safe spaces, shelters, and One-Stop Centres across all provinces, particularly in rural and crisis-affected areas, as recommended by the UN Working Group. This investment is crucial for
supporting girls who face violence, including adolescent mothers, and is central to the country's National Strategy for Preventing and Addressing Gender-Based Violence. This action directly fulfills the commitment under the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development to eliminate all forms of gender-based violence and provide
essential victim support services.
4. Lend Your Voice and Fund Their Needs (Access to Services): We call on the Ministry of Finance and all line ministries to adopt and implement gender-responsive budgeting that provides dedicated, sufficient, and sustained funding to meet the unique needs of girls in crisis, particularly in health and education. This includes ensuring free, compulsory, and quality basic education, providing targeted financial support to eliminate school
barriers, and upholding the Education Amendment Act that prohibits the expulsion of pregnant girls. Furthermore, we call for the urgent expansion of youth-friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) services to address the high rates of teenage pregnancy, aligning with commitments under the Beijing Platform for Action (Critical Area C: Women and Health), thereby creating a pathway for adolescent mothers to continue their education and lead dignified lives.
When Zimbabwe invests in girls—in their safety, their education, their health, and their leadership—we are not just fulfilling a mandate; we are unlocking the nation’s full potential and creating a more equal, just, and hopeful Zimbabwe for everyone. The Women's Coalition of Zimbabwe stands in solidarity with girls: The change they lead
must be the change we support.//END@topfansMinistry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Dev.African Women's Development FundZimbabwe Gender CommissionParliamentof ZimbabweEmbassy of Ireland, PretoriaEU Delegation to ZimbabweOxfam in Southern AfricaNorwegian People's Aid
