International Day of the Girl Celebrated with Maps

ESRI Map of Women with Debit Cards

Girl Power in Maps:  Celebrating International Day of the Girl 

The International Day of the Girl was created by the United Nations in 2011 to celebrate the potential of girls across the world in the face of discrimination and other threats to their well-being.  The mission is to empower girls worldwide and bring awareness to issues like education, healthcare, and protection from discrimination, child marriage, and sexual assault.

The theme for this year is “EmPOWER Girls: Before, during, and after Conflict.”  According to the United Nations, girls in conflict zones or humanitarian crises are 90% more likely to be out of school and more likely to be subjected to violence and exploitation.

The Ball State University Libraries GIS Research and Map Collection (GRMC) has a collection of maps and atlases that detail issues affecting girls around the world.  Cartographic resources like maps are an innovative format for depicting problems like access to contraception and healthcare, education, and clean water.  These maps can be used as informative visual aids for research and education projects, exhibits, and papers. 

The GRMC creates new maps related to international girls each year in celebration of Women’s History Month and other special events and exhibits.  Biographical maps about significant women in history are also included in the collection.

For more information about using maps for research and learning, contact the GRMC at 765-285-1097.