International Women's Day: One Story, Many Girls

International Women’s Day: One Story, Many Girls

Ifrah Mohamed, 2025-26 Iowa UNA College Ambassador from the University of Iowa

Every year on March 8, International Women's Day reminds us to celebrate women’s achievements, but it also calls attention to the barriers that still hold many women and girls back. It’s a day to think not just about progress but also about the challenges that prevent girls from living safely, going to school, and supporting themselves and their families.

One way to understand these challenges is through stories. In The Breadwinner, a 2001 novel by Deborah Ellis adapted into a 2017 film, we meet Parvana, an 11-year-old girl growing up under Taliban rule in Afghanistan. When her father is arrested, Parvana must disguise herself as a boy to leave her home, work, and provide for her family. If she stayed a girl, she would have been trapped unable to earn money or even walk freely outside her house. Her family’s survival depends on her courage and quick thinking.

Parvana’s story is just one example but it’s also a story that belongs to millions of girls around the world. Many children lose their childhoods to poverty, conflict, or cultural practices that limit their freedom. Some are forced into child marriage, subjected to female genital mutilation, trafficked for labor or exploitation, or denied education simply because of their gender. While the circumstances differ, the experience is similar: girls are expected to take on adult responsibilities far too early, often without a choice or a voice.

Across the globe, girls step in to care for siblings, support their parents, or contribute financially to their households. Many face dangerous or restrictive conditions just to survive. These challenges are often hidden from view, but they shape the futures of millions of children and the communities they live in. Parvana represents them all her struggle is not unique, but a symbol of resilience in the face of systemic inequality.

International Women’s Day is a moment to honor that resilience and to acknowledge the systems that make such struggles necessary. True equality means ensuring every girl has the right to education, safety, mobility, and the chance to grow up without fear. No child should have to hide who she is or lose her childhood to support.

International Women’s Day is a moment to honor that resilience and to acknowledge the systems that make such struggles necessary. True equality means ensuring every girl has the right to education, safety, mobility, and the chance to grow up without fear. No child should have to hide who she is or lose her childhood to support her family.

This March 8, let us listen to the stories of girls everywhere. By supporting organizations that empower women, advocating for equal rights, and raising awareness, we can help create a world where every girl is free to learn, work, and simply be a child and eventually, to become whoever she dreams of being.

Because when we hear one story, we begin to hear the voices of many.