D. The girl child: Moderator’s summary 37. At the 5th meeting, on 4 March 1998, the Commission held a panel discussion on the girl child, one of the critical areas of concern in the Platform for Action, and heard presentations by the following panellists: Lina Laigo (Philippines), Secretary, Department of Social Welfare and Development, and Chairperson, Council for the Welfare of Children; Sadig Rasheed (Sudan), Director, Programme Division, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF); Paloma Bonfil Sanchez (Mexico), Secretaria Ejecutiva, Grupo Interdisciplinario sobre Mujer, Trabajo y Pobreza (GIMTRAP); and Margaret Vogt (Nigeria), Senior Associate, International Peace Academy. 38. Following the panel discussion, 16 government delegations participated in a dialogue. Two girls, sponsored by the non-governmental organization Committee for UNICEF/Working Group on Girls, and representatives of a non-governmental organization caucus also spoke. 39. Speakers recalled that the Beijing Platform for Action recognized that women in many countries faced discrimination from the earliest stages of life. They also recognized that discrimination and neglect in childhood could initiate a lifelong downward spiral of deprivation and exclusion. The Platform for Action had called upon Governments, the United Nations system and civil society to take urgent measures to eliminate all forms of discrimination against the girl child, including negative traditional and cultural attitudes and practices and discrimination with respect to education, skills development and training, health and nutrition, employment and family life. It recommended that Governments enact and enforce appropriate legislation and take actions that would ensure equal rights for girls and their full participation in development. 40. Since the Fourth World Conference on Women, a variety of policy measures and programmes specifically targeting the girl child had been introduced by countries, reflecting actions also proposed at recent United Nations conferences and summits and in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and various International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions and standards. Public awareness campaigns had been organized in various regions to sensitize people to the specific needs and concerns of girls. National legislation had been reviewed and modified to protect girls. Stereotypes in teaching materials had been removed in some countries, and teachers were being given gender training. Affirmative action had been used to increase the number of female entrants to colleges and universities. 41. Representatives stressed that the empowerment of the girl child was critical not only for eliminating gender-based discrimination but for personal growth. Human rights instruments, especially the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, obliged States parties to make efforts to protect the rights of the girl child and to eliminate discrimination. The two conventions were viewed by some delegates as interrelated, and measures had been taken to implement them in a coordinated and complementary way. However, in order to be more effective, it was proposed that the two conventions be widely disseminated in local languages and incorporated into national laws. 42. Education was referred to as the most important tool for girls’ empowerment and, in that connection, many participants expressed concern at the high dropout rate among girls, compared with boys. A support system needed to be in place to help girls complete their education and to prevent the sexual -71-