The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) expresses its support to the celebration of the 2023 Girl Child Week on March 25 to 31, 2023.
The Girl Child Week, spearheaded by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC), is an observance pursuant to Presidential Proclamation No. 759, series of 1996, which declares every fourth week of March as the “Protection and Gender-Fair Treatment of the Girl Child Week.” It aims to raise awareness of and to advocate for equal opportunities and protection of all girls in the country.
For this year, the Girl Child Week’s theme is “Strong Girls, Strong World: Protecting Girls’ Rights and Well-being in the Face of Adversity.” It is aligned with the theme of the National Women’s Month Celebration (NWMC) for 2023 to 2028, “WE for gender equality and inclusive society” that highlights fair treatment and inclusivity for all people regardless of their race, sexual orientation, class, status, and ethnicity.
The celebration will focus on the issue of adolescent pregnancy and the need for collective action to address the underlying socio-economic and cultural concerns affecting it. Furthermore, the focus also aims to advocate for accessible, adequate, and appropriate interventions for teenage parents and their children.
Protection for adolescent mothers
To provide interventions for adolescent mothers and their families, the DSWD is currently holding a pilot implementation of the project entitled, ProtecTEEN, in Antipolo City, Malabon City, and Malaybalay City, Bukidnon.
ProtecTEEN adopts a social welfare model of intervention that aims to protect the rights of adolescent mothers and their families as well as to promote their psychological well-being. The project also aims to improve the capacity of teenage mothers through the provision of direct social services and assistance, referral to other concerned agencies, and organizing peer advocates.
Those who want to support the Girl Child Week and to promote advocacies for girls may use the hashtag #StrongGirlsStrongWorldPH. ###
