Who runs the world?
Beyonce. And girls.
“Freedom,” from the singer’s most recent album, “Lemonade,” has been re-cut to commemorate International Day of the Girl.
Since 2012, October 11 has been marked as International Day of the Girl. The day “aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.” Early this morning, the campaign’s hashtag, #DayoftheGirl was already trending on Twitter.
The United Nations, UNICEF, and their partners are working together to “support and invest in girls by transforming the risks and deprivations they face…into pathways towards a better life.”
To mark the day, the UN’s Global Goals project created a video using Beyonce’s song to raise awareness about the challenges girls face. The video, part of their #FreedomForGirls initiative, depicts young girls dancing and otherwise exuding swag, while mouthing the lyrics to “Freedom.” It’s not all celebration — the video also includes shocking facts about the obstacles girls face.
Here are some of the most eye-opening:
- Every five minutes a girl dies as a result of violence.
- One in four girls gets married as a child.
- 63 million girls have undergone female genital mutilation.
- 130 million girls are out of school.
- Girls are twice as likely to be infected with HIV.