Presidential Documents

Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 2014 / Presidential Documents 62297 

Proclamation 9191 of October 10, 2014 

International Day of the Girl, 2014 

By the President of the United States of America 

A Proclamation 

In every community across the globe, girls and women should have the 

opportunity to learn, grow, and achieve their full potential. All nations 

have a responsibility to protect the basic human rights of all people, and 

when they do—when girls and women are fully valued as equal participants 

in a country’s politics and economy—societies are more likely to succeed. 

But throughout the world, too many girls and women are subjected to 

laws and traditions that serve only to oppress and exclude. Gender-based 

violence—from domestic violence and human trafficking to genital cutting 

and early and forced marriage—condemns girls to cycles of dependence, 

fear, and abuse. Harmful cultural norms and prejudices that tell young 

women how they are expected to look and act deny the dignity and equality 

we want for all our daughters. On International Day of the Girl, we stand 

with girls, women, and male and female advocates in every country who 

are calling for freedom and justice, and we renew our commitment to build 

a world where all girls feel safe, supported, and encouraged to pursue 

their own measure of happiness. 

Promoting gender equality and lifting up the status of girls and women 

have been central to my Administration’s national security strategy and 

foreign policy. We are supporting quality education for girls around the 

world, advancing policies that enable women and families to live healthier 

lives, and investing in programs that help nations prevent and respond 

to violence against girls and women. We are also working to end human 

trafficking, a crime that affects far too many communities both here at 

home and around the globe, and of which many victims are girls and 

women. 

As we work to transform the lives of girls and women abroad, we have 

also redoubled our efforts to ensure there are no barriers to their success 

here at home. Vice President Joe Biden’s 1is2many initiative is raising awareness about the high rates of teen dating violence, and my Administration 

is engaging school districts, college students, and community members as 

part of our effort to end sexual assault and domestic violence. Through 

the Affordable Care Act, we have expanded access to quality, affordable 

health care to more girls and prohibited insurers from charging them extra 

simply because of their gender. We continue to invest in community efforts 

to reduce teen pregnancy. And we have made it a priority to educate 

and inspire our youngest girls by increasing opportunities for high-quality 

preschool. As they grow, we will make certain they receive the education 

and training needed to succeed in the jobs of today and tomorrow—jobs 

that we are working to ensure will offer equal pay for equal work. 

As Americans, we must see the hopes and dreams of our own girls and 

realize that these are the same dreams of girls around the world. We cannot 

afford to silence the girl who holds the key to changing her community, 

or the voice that speaks up to call for peace or further scientific discovery. 

We cannot allow violence to snuff out the aspirations of young women 

in America, and we must not accept it anywhere in the world. Today, 

we resolve to do more than simply shine a light on inequality. With partners 


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62298 Federal Register / Vol. 79, No. 201 / Friday, October 17, 2014 / Presidential Documents 

across the globe, we support the girls who reach for their future in the 

face of unimaginable obstacles, and we continue our work to change attitudes 

and shift beliefs until every girl has the opportunities she deserves to shape 

her own destiny and fulfill her boundless promise. 

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, 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, 2014, 

as International Day of the Girl. I call upon all Americans to observe this 

day with programs, ceremonies, and activities that advance equality and 

opportunity for girls everywhere. 

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this tenth day of 

October, in the year of our Lord two thousand fourteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-ninth. 

[FR Doc. 2014–24845 

Filed 10–16–14; 8:45 am] 

Billing code 3295–F5 


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