International Day of the Girl Child, celebrated on October 11, highlights the rights of girls and raises awareness about gender equality and the challenges they face in education, health, and opportunities. Established by the United Nations in 2012, the day promotes events and campaigns aimed at empowering girls worldwide, Kibris Postasi reports.
In Turkey, this day casts a shadow on the nation’s troubling record on women’s and children’s rights. Recent tragic cases, including the deaths of 8-year-old Narin Güran and 2-year-old Sıla, illustrate the harsh reality for girls in the country. An estimated 1.5 million girls are out of school, and increasing economic crises and social challenges leave them vulnerable to violence.
Missing children data has not been updated since 2016, when 104,531 children were reported missing. The government’s lack of transparency and policies that fail to address violence against girls contribute to the escalating issue, according to lawyer Müjde Tozbey. She argues that impunity and religiously-driven policies increase the risk for girls, particularly in vulnerable areas such as earthquake zones, where they face heightened threats of abuse, trafficking, and violence.
Tozbey also highlights the growing influence of religion in education and the economic crisis as factors negatively affecting girls’ education. The dominance of religious practices in schools risks sidelining girls and stalling social progress on issues like violence against women.
