Girl Child

1. Excerpts from: Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd Position Paper Girl Child United with St. John Eudes’ acute awareness of God’s compassionate love and inspired by the creative audacity of St. Mary Euphrasia, we seek to give prophetic and radical responses to needs of our time. “We see a world permeated by God’s love, where justice and human rights support the dignity of every girl, woman and child. We advocate to change policies that exclude and systems that dehumanize.”

2. Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd Position Papers – Introduction Migration / Economic Justice / Girl-child / Trafficking / Prostitution / Integral Ecology Our Position Papers (PPs) have their source in the spirituality, vision, mission, and heritage of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd (OLCGS). The congregation and all affiliated with its mission have a history of service commitment that draws on 400 years of compassionate outreach to, primarily, girls, women, and children in the face of social conditions that cry out for mercy and reconciliation. This updated articulation renews a common direction for action in our global ministries; we seek to deepen the understanding of God’s mercy expressed in current situations. Our vision of God’s love is expressed in direct service projects characterized by compassionate welcome and relevant program development; it includes vibrant policy and advocacy activities that call for justice in systems and structures of programs, governments, church, and social entities. This 2018 update provides an expression of values and orientation for all who supportourwork.

3. Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd Position Papers – Introduction Migration / Economic Justice / Girl-child / Trafficking / Prostitution / Integral Ecology These papers have included input from our practitioners across the world and have the affirmation of the Congregational Leadership Team. We offer these papers as helpful guides that can: • Provide a base for local mission and ministry practice, advocacy, and policy. • Guide initial and continuing formation for all involved in mission and ministry. • Inform province priorities and good practices. • Focus strategic planning for ministry projects. • Motivate social, political, and economic analysis. • Serve as a basis for regular evaluation. We should devote ourselves to Divine MercySt John Eudes, (adapted)

4. The Girl Child • In addressing global issues of today, • The Girl Child • is among the most pressing issues of concern. • from the Congregational Chapter, 2015 • Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd

5. 1. across the world, children suffer severe violations of their human rights in unconscionable numbers. Throughout human history, the girl child has been subject to disproportionate discrimination and abuse. Good Shepherd has always been attentive to the social disadvantage of women and girls, while sharing concern for their family and boy siblings.

6. 2. The exclusion of girl children and girl adolescents is rooted in -Systemic injustice -Structural gender inequality -Targeted gender violence -Dominant systems of patriarchal power. Humanity suffers when societies deny girls the opportunity to grow into valued, productive and equal persons.

7. Specific forms of violence beset the Girl Child 2. lack of social protections for families DENIAL OF NUTRITION lack of access to adequate health care and education disregard for birth registration SEXUAL ABUSE SEXUAL HARASSMENT infanticide Migration heightens vulnerability for girls Lack of maternal prenatal care Girls in indigenous communities are particularly vulnerable child labor violations within accepted cultural, religious, and/or traditional norms deliberate targets of systematic rape, abduction and murder in combat denial of education forced marriage and too early child bearing forced into combat deprivation of childhood In refugee camps girls face sexual exploitation HIV/AIDS ENVIRONMENTAL DEPLETION forced and early marriage genital mutilation (FGM) HUMAN TRAFFICKING

8. 3. We recognize that every girl -is born with dignity -possesses the inherent rights of all humans -ought to be assured the unique rights of childhood to enable them to reach their potential as individuals, as women, and as members of society. When the value of girls is recognized, when their needs are met, and their voices amplified, girls contribute to positive change in their families, local communities, nations, and the world.

9. 4. Our first response to the girl child is to accept and cherish her, affirming her immeasurable worth as a human person. We develop, with participation of girls and their families, social service programs to empower the girl-child, to support her resiliency, to educate her about her rights, to promote safety and protection both within her home and within social institutions such as schools.

10. 4. We support universal education for all children, knowing it to be the most effective avenue to realize individual capacity while being the surest path out of cyclical poverty. We develop enrichment programs for self-esteem, pride in culture, play, and expression of each girl’s highest potential. We support social benefits for parents and support all forms of extended families that care for children.

11. 5-a. In responding to the Girl Child it is critical to: • Develop social programs that welcome and value each girl, respecting her spiritual, human, and child rights. • Support girls’ participation in defining needs and shaping responses. • Locate programs in a girl’s home community as far as possible and include family integration. • Ensure programs are rich with social supports and social interaction.

12. 5-b. In responding to the Girl Child it is critical to: • Develop specialized gender sensitive responses • for children who have suffered • Trauma related to abuse • Deprivation • Family loss • All forms of sexual exploitation • Armed conflict, etc. • Such programs will provide • gender-sensitive, • community-based reintegration, • sensitive to each child’s • readiness. • Each girl will participate in defining her goals.

13. 5-c. In responding to the Girl Child it is critical to: • Ensure that every program has a clear, detailed, and operative CHILD PROTECTION POLICY • that promotes positive development and • protects from abuse of any kind.

14. 5-d. In responding to the Girl Child it is critical to: • Include • Families, • Boys, and • Men • in programs that ensure the human rights of all.

15. 5-e. In responding to the Gils Child, it is critical to: • Participate in, and lead networks, campaigns, and public activities for child rights’ advocacy to ensure political visibility and voice for girls and all children. • Promote community observance of • October 11, the International Day of the Girl Child. • Empowerment and education about human rights for girls • are essential strategies.

16. 5-f. In responding to the girl child theme , it is critical to: Build organizational capacity to Know, Analyze and Use gender-sensitive research. Ensure high standards and good practices in child welfare, appropriate to local context and culture.

17. 5-g. In responding to the Girl Child, it is critical to: • Support gender-responsive budgeting to allocate monies for -Girls’ education & training • -Physical health • -Reproductive health , and • -Mental health. • Support the development of programs seeking to • end all forms of • violence against girls.

18. 5-h. In responding to the Girl Child, it is critical to: Support the strategic objectives of Section L of the Beijing Platform for Action (UN, 1995) Educate girls and communities on the principles of Beijing, Section L on the Girl Child.

19. 5-i. In responding to the Girl Child it is critical to: • PROMOTE • UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development • with awareness of SDG 5 • incorporate awareness • of how each of the 17 SDGs • has implications • for the welfare of girls.

20. 5-j. In responding to the Girl Child, it is critical to: ADVOCATE NATIONALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child with its Optional Protocols and the UN CEDAW are to be a basis for regular reporting. Use the GS NGO office in Geneva. Work for national legislation that incorporates the (Palermo) Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, Especially Women and Children.

21. http://www.buonpastoreint.org/jp-en

22. Mission Development Process A diagram for Implementation of OLCGS Position Papers

23. Good Shepherd has Representation at the ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) of the UN in New York and in Geneva. These offices can support your advocacy and policy efforts http://rgs.gssweb.org/en/jp • Good Shepherd has regional UN NGO designates who can support regional, awareness, trends and efforts. • Find contact information on the GS international website. Winifred DohertyNGO Representative – Economic & Social Council, New Yorkwinifreddohertyrgs@gmail.com

24. Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd Position Paper Girl Child This PowerPoint was prepared for the congregation, at request of the CLT, by the Good Shepherd international Peace Office (GSIJPO), 2018. It has taken excerpts from the full text of the 2018 updated OLCGS Position Papers. It has added some resource material after the text. Its purpose is to aid training and formation for mission and practice. You are free to adapt this - graphics and images - in order to include and express local realties and culture.

25. Further International Resources Please insert your own Regional, National, & Local Links to collaborative organizations, relevant laws, advocacy groups, church and interfaith resources, national commemorations, etc …

26. https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/sustainable-development-goals/

27. Achieve gender equality / Empower all women and girls TARGETS 5.1End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. 5.2 Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. 5.3 Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation. 5.4 Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate. 5.5 Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/sdg5

28. Achieve gender equality / Empower all women and girls 5.6Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences. 5.a Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws. 5.b Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women. 5.c Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels.

29. Links: • - The Universal Declaration of Human Rights • http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml • The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination • against Women, CEDAW • http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/cedaw.htm • The Convention on the Rights of the Child, CRC • http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/crc.htm

30. http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/girl-child

31. Networks and Campaigns of Child Rights’ advocates https://www.crin.org/ http://girlsrights.org/ https://www.wvi.org/

32. http://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/02/beijing-synthesis-reporthttp://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2015/02/beijing-synthesis-report • Section L: Beijing PLATFORM FOR ACTION / Actions to be taken.   L-1 Eliminate all forms of discrimination against the girl-child.  L-2 Eliminate negative cultural attitudes and practices against girls. L-3 Promote and protect the rights of the girl-child and increase awareness of her needs and potential. L-4 Eliminate discrimination against girls in education, skills development and training. • L-5 Eliminate discrimination against girls in health and nutrition. L-6 Eliminate the economic exploitation of child labor and • protect young girls at work.. L-7 Eradicate violence against the girl-child. L-8 Promote the girl-child's awareness of and participation in social,economic and political life. L-9 Strengthen the role of the family in improving the status of the girl-child..

33. Trauma Healing Resources: (Search for others in your own region) The Sanctuary Model http://www.sanctuaryweb.com/ The Sanctuary Institute: http://thesanctuaryinstitute.org/ The Little book of Trauma Healing by Carolyn Yoder https://emu.edu/cjp/publications-and-ezines/little-books/

34. The United Nations Children’s Fund, • UNICEF, • can be an appropriate • resource to draw from and • possible partnership to develop locally. https://www.unicef.org/