International Day of the Girl - Online Press Kit

11 October is the International Day of the Girl.

The COVID-19 pandemic has had serious consequences for children worldwide, but especially for girls. School closures put girls at risk to not only lose out on education temporarily, but to drop out entirely, removing the opportunity for them to determine their own future. At the same time, the protection mechanisms which work in school are no longer in place. LWF country programs in the past months have noted an increase in sexual and gender-based violence, early marriage and teen pregnancies which will likely become worse.

At the same time, we see how economic hardship, caused by lockdowns and loss of livelihoods, affects the most vulnerable, among them again children and particularly girls.

LWF works with forcibly displaced people and vulnerable communities in 25 countries world wide. Protection and gender justice are integral parts of our work. On this day, we celebrate achievements, but we also want to raise the alarm, that girls now are more than ever at risk to lose their future!