It is only a few months since the European Week of Action for Girls (EWAG) took place.

From 10 to 15 October, the Plan International EU Office, together with the rest of the EWAG Coalition, organised a series of activities on the rights of girls and young women on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl (IDG, 11 October).

The 2022 edition took place in Brussels, with a strong representation from the Girls Get Equal campaign, a global group of young influencers which I am also part of. During my trip, I had the opportunity to engage with major decision-making institutions of both Belgium and the European Union.

Political participation takes centre stage

“I studied political science but I never had the courage to embark on a political career because even my teachers discouraged me. I am also afraid for the safety of my family due to the realities of the political sphere.”

Equal Power Now!

This is the theme of our campaign this year. All the actions carried out during EWAG focused on the political participation of girls and young women within the EU and its partner countries.

Coming from Benin myself, and being an active member of the global group of young influencers, my stay in Brussels was very eventful and rich with several meetings with different political authorities.

Already on Tuesday 11 October, one day after my arrival in Brussels, I found myself at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs with Luna, one of my Belgian peers, where we got to meet Minister Hadja Lahbib. During our meeting, I was able to have a frank discussion with her about my professional ambitions, my fears and the challenges I face.

“I studied political science but I never had the courage to embark on a political career because even my teachers discouraged me. I am also afraid for the safety of my family due to the realities of the political sphere.”

Minister Lahbib did not remain insensitive. She spoke to Luna and myself about her inspiring journey before thanking us.

”It was a real source of inspiration and motivation for me” she responded, which I found very encouraging.

Speaking at the European Parliament

My contributions concluded to three recommendations: make EU embassies (or EU Delegations) in partner countries accessible to young people; offer scholarships to girls and women studying political science; and make small grants available to groups working for the political participation of girls and women.

The other activity which, for me, was one of the most successful ones took place on 13 October when I met Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) working in the Development Committee (or DEVE).

Four young delegates, including myself, delivered poignant advocacy messages on a variety of topics in front of dozens of MEPs and young activists, right at the Committee room of the European Parliament.

I focused my advocacy on the political participation of girls and young women around the world.

Despite the number of MEPs and the size of the event, I felt really free to speak and express my needs, as well as those of my peers.

My contributions concluded to three recommendations: make EU embassies (or EU Delegations) in partner countries accessible to young people; offer scholarships to girls and women studying political science; and make small grants available to groups working for the political participation of girls and women.

I was happy to see that my requests were positively received by MEPs who promised to think about them and see how they can move to that direction.

Despite these highlights, I made sure to not miss other activities of EWAG. Among other things, I participated in the art exhibition on the 10 years of IDG, in an exchange with European Commission officials, as well as in a meeting with the President of the DEVE Committee of the European Parliament.

Meeting young activists to talk about equal power

Finally, the end of my stay was marked by the launch of the Equal Power Now campaign. This last event took place in a cosy restaurant in Brussels with over 30 girls’ and women’s rights defenders.

Together with two other young people from the global group of young influencers, I had the opportunity to present our manifesto in my own words, as well as to lead exchanges in one of the sub-groups formed to discuss the real issues that hinder girls’ and women’s participation in politics globally.

The future is ours

I encourage any young woman reading this to participate in her own way in national and international decision-making spaces and take any chance she gets to use her voice.

My stay in Brussels is undoubtedly a valuable experience for me and reinforced the feeling that my commitment will, I hope, change the course of things for the great happiness of girls and women, especially when it comes to political participation.

I encourage any young woman reading this to participate in her own way in national and international decision-making spaces and take any chance she gets to use her voice.

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  Inès

  Plan International Global Young Influencer

Girls Get Equal, Youth empowerment, Activism, Civic engagement, girls’ leadership