International Day of the Girl 2025: Reflections from the UN Speak Out by Eleyna Kang
- Mary Ward Centre
- 3 hours ago
- 2 min read
My name is Eleyna and I am a 15 year old girl activist who wants to make a change in the world! Attending this year’s International Day of the Girl Speak Out at the UN headquarters was a lifetime experience. I came as a representative from Toronto, Canada, for the Loretto Sisters and the Mary Ward Centre, and as a planning member for the Working Group on Girls.
As soon as I arrived I was feeling very nervous as I was sitting right in the middle of the ECOSOC chamber! I interviewed all the moderators and speakers to see how they were feeling and we were all in the same boat. Each time I heard a girl activist or state member speak I felt more empowered and hopeful that, with this bunch of girls, our future would be much improved!Â
My favorite speaker was Markella’s inspiring words about standing up for the girls who don’t have a microphone at their advantage. Seeing all these powerful girls come together to fight for girls rights can make anyone feel courageous. I hope that next year I might be able to be a moderator and that I can share more about girl survivors from sex trafficking as I am an educational consultant for OneChild (an organization that helps stop this).
Every day we are making progress and soon enough we’ll live in a society where girls don’t have to band together to have rights – No worry of child marriage, being raped, murdered or access to education. Soon, girls will finally live the lives that boys do everyday.
Eleyna Kang
We invite you to watch the complete UN video and see how global voices are coming together against violence and discrimination.