International Day

of the Girl

Online violence is violence, period.

As COVID-19 forces girls to move more of their lives online, the need to ensure they are free to be online without fear is urgent and critical. This International Day of the Girl, Plan International Canada is shining a light on the harassment and online abuse girls and young women face on social media. With the pandemic already setting girls back and threatening years of progress toward equality, online abuse cannot be yet another barrier.

Every girl and young woman deserves to have freedom online.

Sign the open letter now and show you stand with girls.

Girls from around the world are calling on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and Twitter to create ways to report abuse and harassment that really work to make online platforms safer for girls and all users.

Standing with girls, amplifying their voices and advocating for their rights at this pivotal moment will help secure a more equal future for everyone.

Read and sign the Open letter

New 2020 Research
2019 Research
2018 Research

State of the World’s Girls Report

Plan International spoke to 14,000 girls in 22 countries around the world, ages 15 to 24, and more than half have been harassed and abused on social media. The most common negative effects of online harassment are lower self-esteem, loss of confidence, mental or emotional stress and problems at school.

Read the full report

Gender Equality: Female and Male Perspectives in Canada

A 2019 national survey of 1000 women and girls (ages 14-24) and 1,000 men and boys (ages 14-24) conducted by Plan International Canada has shed light on the barriers to leadership and existing misconceptions.

Read the full report

Girls in Canada: Gender Equality Today

Plan International Canada conducted a survey of 1,000 Canadian girls in 2018, which examined the attitudes, behaviours and experiences of girls within a range of settings.

The data reveals just how ‘normal’ sexual harassment, gender discrimination and insecurity continue to be for girls across Canada such as the workplace, public places, and in the home.

» Download Girls in Canada: Gender Equality Today, 2018 Report (PDF)

More ways to take action

Stop the Setback

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented and wide-reaching hardship around the world. Girls living in the least developed countries are in crisis, because of COVID-19’s direct consequences and further negative impacts.

Plan International is working to stop the setback COVID-19 is causing for vulnerable people worldwide and directly helping 20 million people – especially girls and young women – across more than 50 countries.

Donate Now

Youth Opportunities

Are you a young person between the ages of 14 and 24 who is passionate about gender equality and social justice?

Plan International Canada’s Youth Engagement initiatives provide tangible ways for young people to take action and drive positive change, both locally and globally.

learn more

Girls Belong Here

Since 2016, Girls Belong Here has created opportunities for young women to step into high-profile, professional roles for a day to demonstrate that women belong at all levels of leadership and that they have a right to equal opportunity in all sectors. To adapt to our current reality, this year’s Girls Belong Here is a virtual program, designed to provide even more space for girl ambassadors to share their voices, stories, ideas and solutions with leaders and organizations during this critical time.  

HISTORY OF INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL

Plan International Canada led the global movement to make International Day of the Girl a reality, garnering all-party support from the Canadian Parliament and the United Nations. Since 2012, we have celebrated it annually, igniting a global mass movement to amplify girls’ voices, advocate for their rights, and elevate their position in society.

Day of the Girl, 2019

In 2019, Plan International Canada brought together special guests – including Youth Ambassadors, Celebrated Ambassadors and Social Influencers – to play a retro-style game show challenging Canadians to know their facts from fiction when it comes to girls’ rights and equality.

›Watch video

Day of the Girl, 2018

In 2018, Plan International Canada created a diverse group of statues to symbolize girls and young women in Canada and worldwide who stand up and stand together for girls’ rights and gender equality.

›Read More

Day of the Girl, 2017

In 2017, girls across Canada set out to show the world that they belong in their dream jobs by stepping into positions of leadership, influence and power, such as the role of the Prime Minister of Canada.

›Read More

THIS #DAYOFTHEGIRL JOIN THE CONVERSATION WITH @PLANCANADA

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