“Who run the world? GIRLS!” sings Beyoncé. Sadly, out here in the real world it’s a bit more complicated. Out here, a man who says he grabs women "by the pussy" is still in the running to be the leader of one of the most powerful nations on earth.
Physical or sexual violence affects one in three women globally. And it will take 117 years until the pay gap between men and women is closed, according to a 2015 report by the World Economic Forum.
Moreover, we don’t even have a proper picture of how bad the situation actually is, due to a lack of statistics about the factors affecting the opportunities for girls worldwide.
A recent report from child rights organisation Plan International, Counting the Invisible, showed that no credible global statistics exist on the real-life challenges faced by girls, such as how many have to drop out of school as a result of sexual violence or early marriage, or how many get pregnant under the age of 15.
“Governments will not end the abuse and inequality facing millions of girls because vital data about them is either incomplete or missing,” says Anne-Birgitte Albrechtson, CEO of Plan International. “It is easier to ignore a problem when there is little evidence of how pervasive it is or how deeply it affects people.”
And while there is a lack of information on what might be holding girls back, there’s a wealth of data on what this means: girls and women are largely invisible in the top tiers of power. For example, only 10 out of 152 elected heads of state worldwide are women, and less than 4% of the CEOs of the world’s top 500 corporations are women.
Statistics like these are driving a new campaign to bring girls front and centre, at least for one day. Today, on 11th October, the International Day of the Girl (and for a few days around this date), girls really will be running the world. They are leading the charge via 200 ‘takeovers’ of top positions, from president to police chief, in 50 countries from Nepal to Uganda.
“There is no country in the world where girls experience true gender equality,” adds Albrechtson. “The takeover is a statement of girls’ power and their ability to change the world.”
Ahead, we've picked out some of the most compelling takeovers...
India – Bhavani takes over as police chief
The brutal gang rape of 23-year-old student Jyoti Singh on a bus in New Delhi in 2012 (she later died of her injuries) shocked the world, and led to protests across India.
13-year-old Bhavani, from Hyderabad, Telangana, was only nine years old when that happened, but her takeover follows a push in India to make women feel safer on the streets in the wake of the attack. Bhavani will take over as chief of her local police station.
“I plan to learn all about how a police station is run and provide tips on how it can be friendlier and safer for girls and women,” she says.
Though she’s only in ninth grade, Bhavani, the youngest of four sisters, has been working with Plan for years to help boost the rights of women and girls.
“It is absolutely necessary that we know and achieve our rights – it’s the only way forward,” she says.
Photo: Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us.
Uganda – Taira takes over as head of the armed forces
‘General’ Taira, from Uganda, is eight years old, but you wouldn’t want to mess with her.
On 5th October, she took over as the chief of Uganda People’s Defence Forces from General Katumba Wamala, who believes more women should be in top jobs in the military.
“Look at all the generals in the army,” he says. “We do not have a female general.”
That’s despite the fact that there is a constitutional requirement in Uganda which says that 30% of the roles in the army should be filled by women, and a number of women occupy roles at lower levels in the military hierarchy, such as female commanders and fighter pilots.
While the situation is far from rosy for women in Uganda, it has made major progress in recent years as the country has seen more stable government and an improved human rights record (although the country’s tough stance on LGBT issues has attracted global condemnation).
Photo: Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us.
Cambodia – Chandet takes over as director of a health clinic
Chandet is 16 years old, the daughter of rubber tree farmers. She has two brothers and is in year 12 at her high school in Cambodia. She will take over as director of a health clinic, her dream job.
The health situation for women in Cambodia has improved in recent years – for example, in 2000, only around 30% of women were helped to give birth by a skilled provider. In 2010, this was more like 70%, according to the UN. But Chandet says more needs to be done to improve access.
“I think only girls can know what girls want,” she says. “Many women don’t go to the health centre because they are afraid they will be checked up by male health staff. I dream of being the head of a health centre so that I can ensure female patients are served by female health staff.”
Photo: Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us.
Zambia, Germany and Sweden – taking over the UN in Geneva
Two girls from Zambia are heading to Geneva, alongside two Swedes and a German, to take over the UN’s offices there.
19-year-old Ngandu, who lives in Vubwi, in the Eastern province of Zambia, is one of them. Her father is a pastor and her mother a farmer, and she has one older sister, Brenda. Brenda got pregnant aged 16, and had to marry. The marriage fell apart, and she is now alone. Her son Innocent doesn’t know who his father is.
Ngandu wants to tell the UN about her sister, to help them understand the situation in her area.
“I am excited to be part of the girls’ takeover in Geneva that enables girls to stand up and speak about the inequality that exits between genders, and also share our experiences from different parts of the world,” she says.
“I feel I have first-hand information on early marriages and its consequences that I can’t wait to share.”
Photo: Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us.
Nepal – Sajju takes over as president
Nepal already has a woman at the heart of government: Bidhya Devi Bhandari became president in 2015, the first woman to hold the role in this patriarchal society.
Bhandari, previously defence minister, has promised to champion minority and women’s rights in her new role.
Sajju, 17, who ‘took over’ Bhandari’s role on 5th October, wasn’t going to let her forget her promise. As part of her takeover, she handed the president an action plan to address girls’ rights drawn up by 40 girls from 20 districts across Nepal.
“I think access to education is the biggest concern that many girls are facing,” says Sajju. “If girls are educated, they can change society.”
Photo: Anthony Asael/Art in All of Us.Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
"More Young Women Take Laxatives Than People Think": 3 Women Share Their Experience
Women Are Being Pressured Into Sex In Return For Donated Sperm
The Vagina Monologues Is 20 Years Old But It's More Relevant Than Ever