Minister of State for Youth and Children Afairs Sarah Mateke Nyirabashistsi calls on Young women to speak out on issues affecting their wellbeing

Uganda’s e Minister of State for Youth and Children affairs Hon Sarah Mateke Nyirabashistsi has urged young women to speak out on the issues that affect their well being in order to achieve their full potential. The minister was presiding over the launch of the state of the World Girl’s report at the plan international offices in Bugolobi, Kampala.

Plan International, a leading girls’ Rights organization on Wednesday  launched the State of the World Girl’s report titled “Turning the World Around, Girl and Young Women activists leading the fight for equality”.

The report is released to mark the International Day of the Girl child which will be commemorated on the 11th of October 2023, based on a global study which involved over a thousand young female activists from 26 countries aged between 15 and 24.

While presiding over the event, Minister  Mateke who is also  the woman representative for Kisoro district Hon Sarah Mateke Nyirabashistsi, called upon Young Women and girls to speak up on the issues that affect their well being. She said that young women’s perspectives are invaluable and their experiences are a source of wisdom that can light a path for others.

The report points at how girls face a multitude of challenges as they campaign for change, facing risks ranging from hostility from community members to oppressive policing and online abuse.

The country Director, Plan international Phoebe Kasoga noted that there is a big gap between the young and older women and therefore,there need  to ensure that the young ones emulate the older generation.

Girls and young women were found to be engaging in activism on a range of issues ranging from gender based violence to sexual and reproductive health rights, climate and the environment.

One in every  10 girls have faced threats of physical violence as a result of their work, while 15% have experienced online harassments and abuse. The single based barrier to girls’ activism is a shortage of funding, named by more than half of girls surveyed as the main factor holding their best campaigning back.