Presidential Document2024-23964
International Day of the Girl, 2024
Primary source
Metadata and text below are from the Federal Register, a public-domain U.S. government work. Always verify the official published version before relying on it for any legal matter.
Published
October 15, 2024
Signed
October 10, 2024
Issuing agencies
Executive Office of the President
Full Text
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<title>Federal Register, Volume 89 Issue 199 (Tuesday, October 15, 2024)</title>
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[Federal Register Volume 89, Number 199 (Tuesday, October 15, 2024)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 83413-83415]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [<a href="http://www.gpo.gov">www.gpo.gov</a>]
[FR Doc No: 2024-23964]
Presidential Documents
Federal Register / Vol. 89, No. 199 / Tuesday, October 15, 2024 /
Presidential Documents
[[Page 83413]]
Proclamation 10836 of October 10, 2024
International Day of the Girl, 2024
By the President of the United States of America
A Proclamation
Girls have the power to shake and shape our world. They
will grow up to be doctors, CEOs, artists,
entrepreneurs, tradeswomen, service members,
scientists, or anything they put their minds to--
leading our Nation to a bigger and brighter future.
During International Day of the Girl, we honor the
lives and contributions of girls worldwide, celebrate
their limitless potential, and recommit to opening
doors of opportunity so girls everywhere can realize
their dreams.
Girls play an invaluable role in the success of our
communities. When young women and girls are afforded
the same opportunities as young men and boys, we are
all better off. Economies grow, education rates and
health outcomes improve, and political instability and
violence decline. Yet, throughout the world, girls
continue to face persecution, violence, and
intimidation, and they are barred from fully
participating in their communities--socially,
educationally, economically, and politically.
That is why my Administration has taken steps to
provide girls with the support they need to thrive,
beginning in their homes and classrooms. My American
Rescue Plan expanded the Child Tax Credit, which
reduced child poverty to a historic low. The American
Rescue Plan was also the largest one-time education
investment ever in our Nation's history, bringing more
teachers, counselors, social workers, after-school and
summer programs, and tutoring to public schools across
the country. My Administration continues to call on the
Congress to restore the expanded Child Tax Credit,
guarantee affordable high quality child care from birth
to kindergarten for 16 million children, and make
universal, free preschool available to every four-year-
old in America. These actions would lift girls across
the country out of poverty and ensure they enter the
classroom ready and excited to learn.
In addition, my Administration made it easier for
schools to leverage Medicaid to deliver mental health
services to their students. We invested over $1.5
billion to strengthen the 988 Suicide and Crisis
Lifeline, invest in school-based mental health
services, and launched the National Mental Health
Strategy, with ongoing investments to strengthen the
mental health workforce, ensure mental health parity,
and connect Americans to care. We remain dedicated to
using every tool in our toolbox to empower girls both
in and out of the classroom.
We also remain committed to ensuring that girls can
live free from violence, fear, and abuse. Last month,
we marked the 30th anniversary of the Violence Against
Women Act (VAWA), a bill I authored more than three
decades ago. Since then, every time we have
reauthorized this law, we have strengthened it. For
example, we broadened the law's protections to better
address dating violence, sexual assault, and stalking.
We expanded services for our Nation's most vulnerable
populations and invested in prevention programs for
young people. We provided more than $690 million in
grants to over 40 VAWA-funded programs in States and
Tribal communities nationwide. Through VAWA and other
laws like the Victims of Crime Act and the Family
Violence Prevention and Services Act, we are working
every day to empower girls and end gender-based
violence.
[[Page 83414]]
Furthermore, we are aggressively combating the harmful
effects that social media can have on our children. My
White House Task Force to Address Online Harassment and
Abuse worked directly with parents and teens to develop
ways for children to stay safe online and prevent the
misuse of technology that harms girls. We are also
tackling the next frontier of gender-based violence and
abuse: deepfake images and videos generated by
artificial intelligence. My Administration also
restored and strengthened vital protections under Title
IX to help keep students and employees safe from sexual
assault and harassment on campus.
My Administration continues to stand with women and
girls who are facing threats to their basic human
rights in far too many conflicts around the world. We
continue to condemn sexual violence committed by
Russia's forces against women and girls in Ukraine, and
we condemn the terrorist group Hamas' appalling,
despicable acts of rape, mutilation, and other forms of
sexual violence in Israel on October 7, 2023, and
against hostages in captivity. In 2022, I signed a
historic Presidential Memorandum to promote justice and
accountability for acts of conflict-related sexual
violence, and I have since announced dedicated
sanctions and new initiatives to hold perpetrators
accountable and support survivors. During this year's
NATO Summit, we revised the Women, Peace, and Security
Policy to address emerging security threats that put
girls at risk, including the climate crisis and
conflict-related sexual violence. And we are committed
to eliminating child, early, and forced marriage and
ending female genital mutilation and cutting, which
have lifelong consequences on the health and well-being
of victims, families, and communities.
Guided by the belief that our Nation and our world are
at their best when there are endless possibilities for
all women and girls, my Administration is devoted to
helping girls reach their full potential. At the first
Summit for Democracy, we established the Advancing
Women's and Girls' Civic and Political Leadership
Initiative to build and sustain girls' participation in
political and civic engagement. And this year, my
Administration launched Women Leading Effective and
Accountable Democracy in collaboration with
international allies to advance women and girls'
leadership in democratic, peace, and security
processes. And, thanks to the leadership of Vice
President Harris, our Administration has galvanized
more than $2.9 billion in investments to advance the
economic status of women around the world, helping
ensure girls will play a meaningful role in the
industries of the future.
When First Lady Jill Biden spoke at the White House's
first-ever celebration of Girls Leading Change last
fall, she reminded the world about the power of girls.
She said, ``I hope you leave here knowing that your
boldness is beautiful, that you belong in all places of
power, that your future can be anything you want it to
be, and that you will never be in this alone.'' On this
International Day of the Girl and every day, let us
each commit to doing our part to create a brighter
future worthy of the talents, aspirations, and dreams
of all our girls. Because when girls do well, we all do
well.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., 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,
2024, as International Day of the Girl. I call upon the
people of the United States to observe this day with
programs, ceremonies, and policies that advance equity
and opportunity for girls everywhere.
[[Page 83415]]
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
tenth day of October, in the year of our Lord two
thousand twenty-four, and of the Independence of the
United States of America the two hundred and forty-
ninth.
<GRAPHIC(S) NOT AVAILABLE IN TIFF FORMAT>
(Presidential Sig.)
[FR Doc. 2024-23964
Filed 10-11-24; 2:00 pm]
Billing code 3395-F4-P
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