International Day of the Girl Child

11 October

International

Why this date

Promotes girls' rights and education; first held in 2012.

About the day

Declared by the UN General Assembly in 2011. It focuses on challenges girls face, such as child marriage and lack of schooling. Malala Yousafzai was shot in Swat on 9 October 2012, two days before the first observance, and became a global symbol of girls' education.

Observed by

United Nations