[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 15, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 83413-83415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23964]




                        Presidential Documents 



Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 15, 2024 / 
Presidential Documents

[[Page 83413]]


                Proclamation 10836 of October 10, 2024

                
International Day of the Girl, 2024

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                Girls have the power to shake and shape our world. They 
                will grow up to be doctors, CEOs, artists, 
                entrepreneurs, tradeswomen, service members, 
                scientists, or anything they put their minds to--
                leading our Nation to a bigger and brighter future. 
                During International Day of the Girl, we honor the 
                lives and contributions of girls worldwide, celebrate 
                their limitless potential, and recommit to opening 
                doors of opportunity so girls everywhere can realize 
                their dreams.

                Girls play an invaluable role in the success of our 
                communities. When young women and girls are afforded 
                the same opportunities as young men and boys, we are 
                all better off. Economies grow, education rates and 
                health outcomes improve, and political instability and 
                violence decline. Yet, throughout the world, girls 
                continue to face persecution, violence, and 
                intimidation, and they are barred from fully 
                participating in their communities--socially, 
                educationally, economically, and politically.

                That is why my Administration has taken steps to 
                provide girls with the support they need to thrive, 
                beginning in their homes and classrooms. My American 
                Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit, which 
                reduced child poverty to a historic low. The American 
                Rescue Plan was also the largest one-time education 
                investment ever in our Nation's history, bringing more 
                teachers, counselors, social workers, after-school and 
                summer programs, and tutoring to public schools across 
                the country. My Administration continues to call on the 
                Congress to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit, 
                guarantee affordable high quality child care from birth 
                to kindergarten for 16 million children, and make 
                universal, free preschool available to every four-year-
                old in America. These actions would lift girls across 
                the country out of poverty and ensure they enter the 
                classroom ready and excited to learn.

                In addition, my Administration made it easier for 
                schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver mental health 
                services to their students. We invested over $1.5 
                billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide and Crisis 
                Lifeline, invest in school-based mental health 
                services, and launched the National Mental Health 
                Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the 
                mental health workforce, ensure mental health parity, 
                and connect Americans to care. We remain dedicated to 
                using every tool in our toolbox to empower girls both 
                in and out of the classroom.

                We also remain committed to ensuring that girls can 
                live free from violence, fear, and abuse. Last month, 
                we marked the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against 
                Women Act (VAWA), a bill I authored more than three 
                decades ago. Since then, every time we have 
                reauthorized this law, we have strengthened it. For 
                example, we broadened the law's protections to better 
                address dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking. 
                We expanded services for our Nation's most vulnerable 
                populations and invested in prevention programs for 
                young people. We provided more than $690 million in 
                grants to over 40 VAWA-funded programs in States and 
                Tribal communities nationwide. Through VAWA and other 
                laws like the Victims of Crime Act and the Family 
                Violence Prevention and Services Act, we are working 
                every day to empower girls and end gender-based 
                violence.

[[Page 83414]]

                Furthermore, we are aggressively combating the harmful 
                effects that social media can have on our children. My 
                White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and 
                Abuse worked directly with parents and teens to develop 
                ways for children to stay safe online and prevent the 
                misuse of technology that harms girls. We are also 
                tackling the next frontier of gender-based violence and 
                abuse: deepfake images and videos generated by 
                artificial intelligence. My Administration also 
                restored and strengthened vital protections under Title 
                IX to help keep students and employees safe from sexual 
                assault and harassment on campus.

                My Administration continues to stand with women and 
                girls who are facing threats to their basic human 
                rights in far too many conflicts around the world. We 
                continue to condemn sexual violence committed by 
                Russia's forces against women and girls in Ukraine, and 
                we condemn the terrorist group Hamas' appalling, 
                despicable acts of rape, mutilation, and other forms of 
                sexual violence in Israel on October 7, 2023, and 
                against hostages in captivity. In 2022, I signed a 
                historic Presidential Memorandum to promote justice and 
                accountability for acts of conflict-related sexual 
                violence, and I have since announced dedicated 
                sanctions and new initiatives to hold perpetrators 
                accountable and support survivors. During this year's 
                NATO Summit, we revised the Women, Peace, and Security 
                Policy to address emerging security threats that put 
                girls at risk, including the climate crisis and 
                conflict-related sexual violence. And we are committed 
                to eliminating child, early, and forced marriage and 
                ending female genital mutilation and cutting, which 
                have lifelong consequences on the health and well-being 
                of victims, families, and communities.

                Guided by the belief that our Nation and our world are 
                at their best when there are endless possibilities for 
                all women and girls, my Administration is devoted to 
                helping girls reach their full potential. At the first 
                Summit for Democracy, we established the Advancing 
                Women's and Girls' Civic and Political Leadership 
                Initiative to build and sustain girls' participation in 
                political and civic engagement. And this year, my 
                Administration launched Women Leading Effective and 
                Accountable Democracy in collaboration with 
                international allies to advance women and girls' 
                leadership in democratic, peace, and security 
                processes. And, thanks to the leadership of Vice 
                President Harris, our Administration has galvanized 
                more than $2.9 billion in investments to advance the 
                economic status of women around the world, helping 
                ensure girls will play a meaningful role in the 
                industries of the future.

                When First Lady Jill Biden spoke at the White House's 
                first-ever celebration of Girls Leading Change last 
                fall, she reminded the world about the power of girls. 
                She said, ``I hope you leave here knowing that your 
                boldness is beautiful, that you belong in all places of 
                power, that your future can be anything you want it to 
                be, and that you will never be in this alone.'' On this 
                International Day of the Girl and every day, let us 
                each commit to doing our part to create a brighter 
                future worthy of the talents, aspirations, and dreams 
                of all our girls. Because when girls do well, we all do 
                well.

                NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of 
                the United States of America, by virtue of the 
                authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws 
                of the United States, do hereby proclaim October 11, 
                2024, as International Day of the Girl. I call upon the 
                people of the United States to observe this day with 
                programs, ceremonies, and policies that advance equity 
                and opportunity for girls everywhere.

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                IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 
                tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two 
                thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the 
                United States of America the two hundred and forty-
                ninth.
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                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2024-23964
Filed 10-11-24; 2:00 pm]
Billing code 3395-F4-P