Globe joins campaign to promote, protect girls’ rights

Leading telecommunications provider Globe Telecom has joined hands with Plan International-Philippines on a five-year campaign to promote the rights and uplift the situation of Filipino girls and young women who are most vulnerable to gender discrimination, violence, and abuse.

In a memorandum of understanding (MoU), Globe and Plan agreed to work together to highlight the issues girls face and their contribution to society especially when given equal access to social services and economic opportunities.

“We believe in a world where all children realize their full potential in societies that respect people’s rights and dignity by addressing key issues in education, health, governance, water, and environmental sanitation, child protection, and disaster risk reduction and management that prevent children, especially girls from enjoying their rights,” said Carin Van der Hor, country director of Plan International-Philippines. Plan formally launched the “Because I Am A Girl” campaign on Oct. 11, the same day of the first worldwide celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child.

She added: “Girls face unique barriers and challenges. Gender discrimination is linked with child poverty that has social and economic costs for everyone. We are glad to have Globe as a partner in raising the people’s awareness of the rights of the girl child so we can all do something to protect and promote those rights.”

On the other hand, Globe, through its corporate social responsibility program Globe Bridging Communities, aims to enrich and empower underprivileged communities through the innovative use of information and communications technology.

“One of the pillars of Globe BridgeCom is i-Access which is designed to harness Globe mobile and broadband technologies to serve communities. We are now working with Plan on the necessary ICT enabled tools and solutions to achieve our mutual goal of providing Filipino girls equitable access to relevant social services and products,” said Rob Nazal, head of Globe CSR.

As an initial step, Globe has started reaching out to subscribers who have opted in to free Globe advisories so as to mobilize a broad range of supporters for the girl child. While advocacy for women and children has been in the civil society and the government’s agenda, the specific advocacy for girls has yet to be widened and deepened.

According to a study conducted by the Women and Gender Institute (WAGI) of Miriam College, poverty and social inequality create a disabling environment for the fulfillment of the rights of the girl child.

Based on the 2010 census, a little more than half of the 92.34 million Filipino population are children, and half of them are girls. Data and responses from focus group discussions indicate that girl children from disadvantaged families often fall prey to child labor, exploitation, and lack of access to basic services. Girl children also often work as household helpers usually starting at age 15 through 17. There are also instances when parents of children as young as three years old initiate their childr en to child pornography.