Intl Day of Girl - New leader of Girls Action Foundation Jan ...

National girls’ organization appoints new leader
as UN declares International Day of the Girl Child
Pakistani-Canadian Ms. Saman Ahsan works for girls’ equality in both countries
Montreal, Quebec – January 17, 2012 – Ms Saman Ahsan celebrates the creation of the
International Day of the Girl Child as she steps into her new role as Executive Director of
Girls Action Foundation, Canada’s leading girls’ empowerment organization.
Having worked for girls’ equality in her country of origin, Pakistan, and now in Canada, Ahsan
joined Girls Action in January because she believes in the power of girls to change the future of
the world like no other force.
Just weeks earlier, the United Nations General Assembly approved the creation of the
International Day of the Girl Child. Ms. Ahsan thinks this is an important opportunity to raise
awareness about girls’ potential all over the world.
Compared to girls in developing countries do girls in Canada have anything to complain about
“While Canadian girls’ situation is much better than that of their Pakistani sisters on the whole,”
says Ms Ahsan, “girls here still have a long way to go to achieve equal opportunities.”
She explains, “girlhood is not yet valued as it should be in Canada and we have not been able
to get rid of all the underlying perceptions and negative behaviours towards girls.”
High rates of depression, sexual harassment, and exposure to over-sexualized images of girls
are part of many Canadian girls’ daily realities.
Ms Ahsan is hopeful about the possibility for change: “Getting out of the chain of negativity just
requires a little push – for all of us to realize that girls are capable and are a valuable part of
society.”
Ms Ahsan firmly believes that once girls understand their worth, their own confidence can
empower them to take on the world. “I know from my work in both Pakistan and Canada that the
determination and drive of girls is a force that cannot be reckoned with.”
“Empowering girls is the smallest investment with the possibility of the highest returns,” states
Ms. Ahsan, “It takes so little to ignite the ray of hope in a girl, but once there it has the potential
to change lives and transform generations.”
She is happy to be seeding this investment at Girls Action, a national charity that gives girls
leadership skills, mentors, and the chance to discover their power through innovative programs
in schools and community centres.
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For more information or to schedule an interview, please contact:
Saman Ahsan: 514.948.1112, saman@girlsactionfoundation.ca
The facts about Girls in Canada
• “With the onset of puberty, girls are typically three times as likely as boys to suffer from
depression due to low self-esteem, negative body image, feelings of helplessness and
hopelessness, and stress” (Public Health Agency of Canada, 2006)
• 46% of high school girls report being the target of unwanted sexual comments or gestures
(CAMH Centre for Prevention Science, 2008)
• 29% of Aboriginal girls in report that they seriously consider suicide (McCreary Centre
Society, 2005)
• Today’s girls are bombarded by hypersexualized media images (American Psychological
Association, 2007)
• Immigrant young women have higher unemployment rates than their Canadian-born
counterparts (Statistics Canada, 2005)
• Young women under 25 experience the highest rates of partner violence of all age groups
(Statistics Canada, 2006)
For more facts and references, read Girls Action’s report Girls in Canada Today
http://www.girlsactionfoundation.ca/en/light-a-spark/girls-in-canada
About Girls Action Foundation
Girls Action Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting girls and young
women to overcome barriers to reach their true potential. Founded in 1995, Girls Action delivers
girls’ empowerment programs, training for educators, and bursaries for young women changemakers.
Girls Action operates on a national scale with a local impact reaching 60,000 girls and
young women annually. The 250 member-organizations of the Girls Action Network are found in
all provinces and territories. 90% of girls and women participating in Girls Action programs come
from underprivileged and marginalized communities.
Saman Ahsan has worked with and on behalf of girls and young women
for her entire career. As the National Coordinator of the Girl Child Project
at the Family Planning Association of Pakistan, one of the oldest and
largest NGOs in the country, Saman was responsible for community
mobilization at the grassroots level to empower adolescent girls
belonging to marginalized communities. Through Ms Ahsan’s leadership,
the Girl Child Project grew exponentially from 130 locations to an
additional 600 locations reaching 30,000 additional girls over a five year
period. Ms Ahsan has also held leadership roles at the World Economic
Forum, and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. As a
graduate of the Sauvé Scholars Program in Montréal (2003-2004) and
of McGill University’s Anthropology department (1995-1998), she is well
acquainted with life in Canada.