Posted: Thursday, 11 October 2012

The United Nations has declared October 11, 2012 as the world's first International Day of the Girl Child. The Canadian Labour Congress (CLC) congratulates the Government of Canada and its Minister of the Status of Women for their efforts in establishing this celebratory day.

We mark the first-ever Day of the Girl by calling upon our government to make gender equality a key priority.  Let's give girls a fair start in life by ensuring they don't have to graduate from post-secondary education with a crushing debt load. Let's make sure that they have access to good, stable, well-paying jobs.  Let's make sure they are able to choose whether and when to have children, and if they do, let's make sure they have flexible, affordable child care options so they can balance work and family life. Let's address the persistent gap between their salaries and those of their male counterparts, which has remained unchanged in thirty years. And let's help build a society where girls can live free from violence, harassment and discrimination.

The Canadian Labour Congress believes that girls matter - not just this day, but every day. The CLC challenges the Canadian Government to stand up for fairness by taking positive, proactive steps to address the equality gap for girls and women in Canada.