Celebrate the young women in your life! This October 11, the Commission on Human Rights joins in the celebration of the International Day of the Girl. Today is dedicated to their resilience, their strength, and most of all, the fulfillment of their human rights. Spend today appreciating the young women and girls in your life, and finding small, important ways in which you can promote and protect their rights today.

With the theme “GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable,” the day is meant to celebrate the empowerment and the achievements by, with, and for girls over the years, especially in the field of human rights.

The Philippines ranks 8th in the Global Gender Gap Report of 2018, which is scored by capturing the magnitude of gender-based disparities. It is determined by factors such as economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment.

Despite our successes — such as the passage of the Bawal Bastos Law, the Expanded Maternity Leave Law, and the Magna Carta of Women — there is still a long way to go. We call on the government to continue its efforts in protecting girl children, and to take concrete action against the other problems young women in the Philippines continue to face — such as sexual abuse, human trafficking, domestic violence, and other forms of indignities against them. As the Gender Ombud and Development of the Philippines, CHR pledges to continue the longstanding fight for a better future for Filipino women and girls both across the country and all over the world.