Girls must be represented where decisions are taken and the future is formed. Every child has the right to be heard. No one is too young to contribute to change, but girls are often rendered invisible.
Lately we have seen political leaders and a large group of other powerful adults ridiculing a girl speaking up on her fears of climate change and its implications. Not her message, but her personality, her tone and her style are under attack.
What kind of message does it send to girls around the world who would like to speak their mind on issues small or large at home, in school or in the public space?
Girls are often silenced by belittlement or attacks on their personalities, while their opinions are left unheard.
This is an infringement on their right to heard. But it is also a threat to a democratic and sustainable society with equal opportunities for men and women, boys and girls.
Sweden’s feminist foreign policy is needed more than ever in a world where women’s and girls’ enjoyment of their human rights is called into question or opposed.
Viktoria Li
Ambassador of Sweden