It’s International Day of the Girl Child and Girl Guides Australia are taking the opportunity to launch their Child Safe Child Friendly Framework.
International Day of the Girl Child is an international observance day declared by the United Nations held on October 11– it is also called the Day of Girls and the International Day of the Girl.
The day supports more opportunities for girls and increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide based upon their gender.
Girl Guides Australia’s mission is aligned with that by empowering girls and young women to discover their potential as leaders of their world.
The ongoing commitment of Girl Guides
Girl Guides Australia’s new Child Safe Child Friendly Framework complies with Australia’s National Principles for Child Safe Organisations, and signals the ongoing commitment of Girl Guides to provide girls and young women with an environment where they are safe, protected, and respected.
Developed in consultation with key stakeholders from across Girl Guides including Youth Members, the Framework pulls everything that Girl Guides do to provide a child-safe culture under one umbrella.
Girls the centre of all our decisions
Chief Commissioner for Girl Guides Australia Rosemary Derwin says that girls feel Girl Guides is a place where they love to enjoy time with their friends – exploring, adventuring, having fun – and where they feel safe. ’In Girl Guiding, the girl is the centre of all our decisions and our Framework reminds us that we must view everything we do through a child-safe child-friendly lens.
The Framework provides clear guidance for everyone involved in Girl Guiding to understand their role in helping to keep children and young people safe, and to build on the Child Safe Child Friendly Community that is central to Girl Guiding in Australia.
‘Girl Guides Australia recognises that our long-standing, respected reputation, and the valuable contribution we bring to local communities, is dependent on the behaviours and attitudes of the people who make up the Girl Guiding movement in Australia,’ said Ms Derwin. ‘All adults in Girl Guiding are required to be constantly aware of girls, and to act if they see, hear or simply suspect that any girl may be feeling worried or unsafe.’
The Framework empowers girls, actively encourages the development of confidence and self-esteem and supports a safe space where they are heard. ‘Listening to the views and wishes of all our girls is a central platform of the Framework’.
To find out more about Girl Guides and where you can join, visit the Girl Guides Australia website: www.girlguides.org.au.
