The She Leads program aims at meaningful participation and participation in decision-making processes by girls and young women at different levels. At the international level, we direct our advocacy to the United Nations. Last week, three girls from Lebanon, Kenya and Uganda traveled to Geneva via She Leads to attend the 53rd session of the UN Human Rights Council. There they delivered their message on topics that are important to them and on which they also work in their own country. In addition, a statement was prepared by girls and young women from the She Leads program country Ghana, which was read in the meeting by our colleague there.

 Girls and young women bear the brunt of crises

Lynne, 18, is from the Nabaa neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon. Since 2,5 years, she has been a member of one of the two core groups of girls and young women that our She Leads partner Dar Al Amal works with. She went to Geneva with a clear goal: "We urge member states to include girls' voices and opinions in their decision-making and to protect girls' rights." Lynne is concerned about climate change, among other things. In her statement in Geneva, she emphasized the impact on girls and young women. It affects food security that is already unevenly distributed. She stressed that in times of crisis, girls and young women bear the heaviest burden and are most at risk of exploitation and violence. This is even more true for girls and young women with disabilities, she says. She also focused on the impact of climate change on education systems: “In a crisis, education often becomes inaccessible. That is why we urge member states to focus their responses to crises and disasters on keeping health and education systems afloat.”

 The importance of a platform for social change

24 year old Margaret is from Mombasa in Kenya and works in She Leads with our partner KAACR (Kenya Alliance for Advancement of Children). She addressed Member States during a session on media literacy and digital literacy, highlighting the digital gender gap and the importance of the digital world for the right to self-expression. "Particularly for girls and young women, it is an important platform for organizing and mobilizing for social change. It empowers girls and young women to express their views and question those in positions of power and demand accountability."

 Child marriages and forced marriages

In addition to their statements in the Human Rights Council, the activists spoke with Paul Bekkers and Kim Peters of the Dutch Permanent Representation to the United Nations in Geneva about child and forced marriages. A vote on a resolution was held in the Human Rights Council on this subject. The activists stressed the importance of listening to girls and young women ahead of the vote. Margaret: “Girls and young women in different parts of the world suffer from traditional and harmful practices that perpetuate child marriage. We are for dialogue and advocacy to debunk these entrenched ideas and drive positive change in our communities.”