Resources on the GIRL CHILD
Section l
"All barriers must be eliminated to enable girls to develop their full potential and skills through equal access to education and training, nutrition, physical and mental health care and related information." "Governments should promote an active and visible policy of mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes so that before decisions are taken, an analysis is made of the effects on girls and boys, respectively."
Beijing Platform for Action.
Websites and Electronic Resources
http://www.captive.org
Captive Daughters is dedicated to ending the sex trafficking of children with special emphasis on the girl child. Based in California, US, their site is rich in resources, offering research reports and media articles of current interest, actions and initiatives, relevant publications and materials, background information about sex trafficking and other related issues such as child prostitution and pornography and exploitation of immigrant women. The site also lists links and contact information for other organizations who work on these issues.
http://childhouse.uio.no
Children's House is a network of organizations working for children’s human rights that facilitates the translation of the benefits of research and programming into policy and practice. Each topic, such as Child Health or Children’s Rights has a dedicated web page that is moderated by a member organization. The vast Information Resources section, maintained by the Australian Institute of Family Studies, provides extensive links under the following headings: General, Advocacy and Policy, Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention, Child Health and Child Poverty, Children and Cities, Children and War, Children’s Rights, Early Childhood, Homeless Children and Street Kids, Youth and Adolescents, Journals with Relevance to Children, and Internet Resources for Children.
http://www.crin.org
The Child Rights Information Network is based in London, UK and works to improve the lives of children through the exchange of information about child rights. The site contains a vast children’s rights publications database, a calendar of events, and CRIN newsletters. Their featured "Theme Desk" provides current news, policy and briefing papers, publications and links to organisations working within the field of that issue, such as HIV/AIDS or Child Labour.
http://www.cwa.tnet.co.th
Based in Thailand, Child Workers in Asia advocates and creates awareness of the rights of children, coordinates action, and develops networking among NGOs at national and regional levels. Their website includes archived newsletters, their book Behind Closed Doors - Child Domestic Workers, examples of children’s voices on this issue, and a variety of references on child labour listed by region or subject. The site provides an extensive list of web resources including the following categories: Networks, Directories, United Nations Agencies, Child Sexual Exploitation, Child Soldiers, Campaigns, Data on Women and Children, and Child Slave Labor News.
http://workingchild.org
Concerned for Working Children (CWC) empowers working children by employing strategies that preserve their rights and dignity. With offices in India, their site provides extensive information about CWC’s projects and initiatives, and the section on "Lessons Learnt" features an interesting list of new insights gained from their work.
http://www.ecpat.org
End Child Prostitution, Pornography, and Trafficking is a global network of organisations and individuals working together for the elimination of these practices and the protection of children’s rights. While this site focuses on the activities of ECPAT Australia, it contains valuable links to more information on these issues.
http://www.globalmarch.org
Global March Against Child Labour began with a worldwide march in 1998 to build awareness and participation against this issue, and the Global March International Secretariat is located in New Delhi, India. Global March’s website contains extensive resources including status reports on child labour in different regions of the world and ideas to take action. Also featured is an outgrowth of the Global March, their new crusade, The Global Campaign for Education, which aims to "mobilise public pressure on governments to fulfil their promises to provide free, quality education for all people, in particular for our children and women."
http://www.yesunet.org/nagcs
National Alliance for the Girl Child on the Street speaks out and acts on behalf of the homeless and sexually abused. The site includes a list of international resources for runaways and parents as well as a vast selection of web links in the areas of health care, education, and legal issues.
http://www.girlsrights.org
The Working Group on Girls of the NGO Committee on UNICEF is a coalition of over 80 International and national NGOs working in more than 100 countries at the grassroots level. Their website provides information about activities to promote girls’ rights, networking, and advocacy. Under the section "Working Groups on Girls" you can review the remarks of girls who attended the 1998 CSW, where girls testified before the United Nations for the first time.
http://www.newmoon.org
New Moon is a US-based media house committed to empowering adolescent girls. They also produce materials geared for people who work with girls such as parents, mentors, counselors, and teachers. Their website contains interactive links for girls, articles in their current publications, and lists of web resources about girls.
http://www.unicef.org
The United Nations Children’s Fund is the only United Nations organization that deals exclusively with children’s issues. Their website contains links to topics such as Women2000, an outline of the Beijing +5 review process; Convention on the Rights of the Child and the two UN approved Optional Protocols; and Voices of Youth, an online forum for young people which explores discrimination that girls face around the world at each stage of their lives. Forum materials also include photo essays, case studies, a discussion forum and an interactive quiz.
http://www.wagggsworld.org
The mission of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is to enable girls and young women to develop their fullest potential as responsible citizens of the world. The World Bureau is located in London, UK. The website features documents relevant to the Girl Child in English, Spanish, and French. You can also find information about world projects initiated by various chapters. Plans are underway to produce a "Young People" section containing forums and articles by and about youth intended to promote global interaction.
http://www.worldywca.org
The World Young Women’s Christian Association promotes women’s full and equal participation at all levels of society and unites 25 million women and girls in over 100 countries, with the World Office located in Geneva, Switzerland. The web-site features an interactive Young Women’s Web with opportunities to participate in an on-line forum, find news of young women’s activities in YWCAs around the world, reviews of international events related to young people, and more.
See also.
http://www.womenaction.org
WomenAction
http://www.pdhre.org
People’s Decade for Human Rights Education
http://www.whrnet.org
Women’s Human Rights Network
http://www.un.org/womenwatch
United Nations WomenWatch
SELECTED Books
Many of these publications can be ordered online at http://www.womenink.org
Action Guide for Girls' Education
Association for Women in Development
This manual takes a rare, in-depth look at the obstacles girls face in receiving an equitable education. Five thematic sections discuss: girls' access to education; safety in school, particularly sexual harassment; content and curriculum; the school environment, including teacher attitudes, classroom atmosphere and teaching methods; and strategies for action. Statistics.
1995. 50 pages. US$9.95
The Burden of Girlhood
A Global Inquiry into the Status of Girls
Neera Kuckreja Sohoni
This book shows how girls are victimized on account of age as well as gender. It analyzes the constraints they experience with respect to: culture and socialization; marriage; demographics; health and survival; education; work; violence; and affirmative action. Tables; case studies; bibliography.
1995. 256 pages. ISBN 0-89914-0408. US$19.95
Choose a Future
Issues and Options for Adolescent Girls
CEDPA
Choose a Future helps girls and young women examine issues and options in their lives, set goals, develop new skills in analysis and decision-making, and build self-esteem. Field-tested in India, Nepal, Nigeria, Egypt, Ghana, Mexico and Uganda, the manual contains 12 modules with skits, stories, games, crafts and other activities that can be adapted to meet individual needs.
1996. 162 pages. US$25.00
Improving the Quality of Life of Girls
Kathleen M. Kurz and Cynthia J. Prather
This report identifies major constraints on the quality of life of girls by three different age categories. These range from mortality, health care, and nutrition deficits for very young children to sexual and other forms of gender violence, pregnancy and cultural vulnerability faced by teenage girls. Illustrations are taken from different countries and agencies. Statistics; photographs; bibliography.
1995. 77 pages. ISBN 92-806-3185-3. US$11.95
Learning about Sexuality
A Practical Beginning
Sondra Zeidenstein and Kirsten Moore (Eds.)
This book is a unique tool for understanding how contraceptive use, sexually transmitted disease, and unwanted pregnancy are affected by the dynamics of sexuality and gender. It includes chapters on approaches to understanding the experience of sexuality; bringing sexuality into family planning services, reproductive health interventions, and biomedical research; and challenging entrenched attitudes and behaviour.
1996. 404 pages. ISBN 0-878-34085-8. US$20.00
You, Your Life, Your Dreams
A Book for Adolescents
Catharine Watson and Ellen Brazier
This invaluable information handbook, co-published by Family Care International and the Straight Talk Foundation, is aimed at adolescents aged 14 to 19. Liberally illustrated with cartoons and illustrations, it covers a variety of topics that concern young people, including: the changes that girls and boys experience during puberty; health, pregnancy and contraception; unwanted sexual activity; and substance abuse. It offers a wealth of factual information as well as sensitive advice on such issues as loneliness and getting along with parents and peers. Though compiled with an African audience in mind, the guide is an excellent resource for parents, counselors and schools worldwide. Glossary.
2000. 198 pages. WE 519V. US$12.00
Many of these publications can be ordered online at http://www.womenink.org
INITIATIVES
UNICEF has published a user-friendly booklet called "Girls at Work."
Using cartoons and short text, the publication confronts seven common myths about girls' labour (i.e. that their domestic work has no economic value, that school is a poor investment). It stresses that education is an equal right for all children guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child and makes the point that girls "REAL" work is quality schooling. The publication is free and available in English, Spanish and French. To request copies, contact: <sfriedman@unicef.org> with your name and address, the language and number of copies you want.