CLARK FREEPORT The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has expressed its support to the celebration of the 2023 Girl Child Week on March 25 to 31, 2023.
The Girl Child Week is spearheaded by the Council for the Welfare of Children (CWC).
It 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.
To provide interventions for adolescent mothers and their families, DSWD is currently holding a pilot implementation of the project entitled, ProtecTEEN, which aims to protect the rights of adolescent mothers and their families as well as to promote their psychological well-being.