Girls’ Bill of Rights 101

What is the Global Girls’ Bill of Rights®?

All girls have rights, but not all girls get to experience them. The Global Girls’ Bill of Rights® is a declaration of the rights all girls are entitled to, written by girls, for girls: girlsbillofrights.org 

Who submitted their rights?

Any girl or person who identified as a girl, ages 13-22, was welcome to submit their rights. The age restriction was only to comply with internet regulations. More than 1,000 girls from 34 countries submitted their rights in 5 languages (English, Spanish, French, Kiswahili, and Portuguese). Some worked in their organizations to complete an activity, and their mentors were able to submit on their behalf, while others submitted directly.

Then what happened?

The submissions were coded according to theme area and simplified into a survey by the She’s the First Team. Then, the Global Girls’ Panel, a group of 15 girls from nearly a dozen countries, worked with the survey and a WhatsApp group to finalize the ten rights on the final bill.  

Who organized this?

She’s the First, Akili Dada, and MAIA, three organizations who work on girls’ education and girls’ rights, came together to organize this initiative and ensure girls’ voices would be heard.

Why is this important to you?

Be prepared to talk about your own personal experiences or ways your peers have been affected by these issues in order to highlight the importance of these rights. Think about which rights are most important to you and why. 

What is the goal?

We aim to ensure that girls’ voices are heard and respected. With Beijing +25 approaching, we hope the United Nations will incorporate girls’ voices into the agenda there and everywhere. We want for people everywhere to respect these rights, to ensure that girls are no longer marginalized or oppressed, no matter where they live. We want this declaration to be taken seriously.

What are the next steps?

These rights are something that families and communities can talk about together, with girls leading the discussion. For me personally, I plan to ____________. The organizing team will also be talking about and working on these rights moving forward, including creating activity guides for girls’ groups and schools. 

If people want to support: 

They can learn more about the rights at girlsbillofrights.org and please share the rights with their friends, family, or online. The hashtag is #girlsbillofrights and there are graphics and photos to share. They can also organize their own activities or events in their communities.