translated from Spanish: 21st Century Girls: It’s All Court

Mr. Director:
21st century girls have an imaginary unthinkable 20 years ago. They can turn on the TV, open their social networks and find presidents, scientists, activists, artists; visible women and occupying a space that, for centuries, was completely denied them. Today, moreover, they will be able to observe other women, on an equal footing with men, to participate in the eventual new social pact, as the only case in the world.
These new scenarios realize that, for 21st century girls, it’s all a court. They can aspire to be all they want, not as a sci-fi exercise, but as a legitimate and achievable dream. This has been possible because others have taken the siege: because any participation in women’s public space has been the result of their relentless struggles for recognition.
We still have a long way to go, there’s no doubt about it. Girls are the most vulnerable age group, have the highest prevalence of sexual violence and, as a result, suffer from severe physical and mental disorders. Care tasks, which they often have to take on, sometimes prevent them from continuing their higher education and accessing better job opportunities. However, when they manage to jump those barriers, their academic and work trajectories have high levels of excellence. So it is public policy work to move forward to bridge these gaps and address the structural and historical discrimination that has affected girls, adolescents and women.
However, the community must also take responsibility for breaking the “glass roofs”, thus allowing girls and young people to develop their full potential and be the architects of their own life projects.
Camila De la Maza
Option Corporation Legislative Monitoring Coordinator

Original source in Spanish