They will engage in dialogues with leaders from the National Assembly, the government, ministries and local administrations about their rights to live and develop in a safe and equal society.
This is an annual event jointly held by the National Assembly’s Committee for Culture, Education, Youth, Adolescents and Children Plan International Vietnam, the Ministry of Labor, Invalid and Social Affairs, the Central Committee of the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union and the Plan International Vietnam to celebrate International Day of the Girl.
From then, each year, IDG is celebrated by all Plan International offices with different themes and focuses. In 2016, Plan International started a global movement called Girls Takeover, where girls and young women could take up influential positions across political, economic and social spaces, confronting the gendered nature of power relations and challenging perceptions around their true leadership potential.
During 3 days, 100 girls will engage in brief dialogues with Government/Ministries leaders about “Girls’ safety in public spaces” and “Child marriage and consequences”. Then, girls will put forward their ideas to MPs and Government/Ministries leaders regarding child care, protection and education.
On the other hand, Government/Ministries leaders who participate in the forum will listen to girls’ opinions, answer their questions and commit to solve the problems of girls’ safety in public places in urban areas and child marriage in areas where most ethnic minority people live.
Girls Forum 2018 is the commitment of the National Assembly, the government, civil society organizations and international non-governmental organizations for girls to participate in the process of creating and implementing laws and policies that ensure basic child’s rights. This is the first national Girls Takeover organised in Vietnam where girls involve in decision-making processes at high level. They are also empowered to raise voice on a much larger platform than ever before, ensuring girls are visible and inspire others to join the movement for girls' rights and take collective action.
International Day of the Girl – IDG (October 11) is recognized globally by United Nations General Assembly in 2011, based on an initiation by Plan International Canada, the Canadian Government, EU and other organizations. Simultaneously, in 2012 when the first IDG was celebrated, Plan International launched Because I Am A Girl campaign in 70 countries including Vietnam. It aimed to create a lasting impact on the lives of approximately half a billion girls through Plan International’s programme and advocacy work.
In Vietnam, Plan International kick-started the Girls Takeover event in 2016 by collaborating with students of Minh Khai high school in Hanoi to organize the communications event about girls’ rights, with participation from over 1.000 students, teachers and parents. In 2017, Plan International Vietnam upscaled the event to 7 programme units in the Northern and Central regions, with over 85 girls stepping into the roles of leaders and influencers in their community like the head of Commune Committee, head of Commune Women’s Union, head of District Committee, and more. Over 15,000 children and adults participated in the event.
