ISLAMABAD: World Population Day will be observed on Monday, July 11, to raise awareness on issues related to population and challenges that have emerged due to limited resources and increasing demand.
The event was established by the Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in 1989. It was inspired by the public interest in Five Billion Day on July 11, 1987 – the day on which the world’s population reached approximately five billion people.
In 1989, the governing council of the UNDP recommended that July 11 be observed by the international community as the World Population Day, as a day to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues. This year’s theme of the day is ‘Investing in teenage girls.’
Teenage girls around the world face enormous challenges. Many of them are considered to be ready for marriage and motherhood, by their communities or parents. Many are forced from school which damages their future prospects.
Even those who manage to stay in school, access to basic information about their health, human rights and reproductive rights can be hard to come by, leaving them vulnerable to illnesses, injuries and exploitation.
These challenges are exacerbated among marginalised girls, such as the members of ethnic minorities or those living in poverty or in remote areas. Yet when these teenage girls are empowered, when they know about their rights and are given the tools to succeed, then they become agents of positive change in their communities.
In a message on World Population Day, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Dr Babatunde Osotimehin said that leaders and communities must focus on and stand up for the human rights of the most marginalised teenage girls, particularly those who are poor, out of school, exploited, or subjected to harmful traditional practices, including child marriage.
“Marginalised girls are vulnerable to poor reproductive health and are more likely to become mothers while still being children themselves. They have a right to understand and control their own bodies and shape their own lives.
UNFPA programmes aim to end child marriage, curb adolescent pregnancy, and to empower girls to make informed choices about their health and lives. In 2015 alone, UNFPA programmes helped 11.2 million girls between the ages of 10 and 19 to gain access to sexual and reproductive health services and information.
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