(Source: Girl Up “United Girls to Change the World”)
Approximately one person in twelve around the world is a girl or young woman aged 10–24. Yet many developing countries do not account for the number of girls in their population. Due to an unavailability of systems to count these girls, and sometimes simply due to a lack of political will, girls will be denied birth certificates or other forms of official identification. This means that as a girl grows up it will be difficult, if not impossible, for her to attend school or get a job in the formal business sector. She will not be able to own her own or inherit land, start her own business, or vote. She will likely be confined to the home and left unpaid – an invisible member of society.
What Is Girls Count Act (HR 3398)?
Introduced to the House – October 30, 2013
Girls Count Act of 2013 – Authorizes the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to: (1) support programs that will contribute to improved civil registration and vital statistics systems with a focus on birth registration; and (2) promote programs that build the capacity of developing countries’ national and local legal and policy frameworks to prevent discrimination against girls, and help increase property rights, social security, land tenure, and inheritance rights for women.
What You Can Do
Tell your members of Congress to advocate on behalf of girls everywhere and support the Girls Count Act of (H.R. 3398; S. 2591).
YWCA NCA Advocacy 