Girls' rights

Girls’ rights power a fairer world for everyone – and though progress is being challenged, we’re not stopping now.

Lynne, 18, raised her concerns about girls' rights and climate change at the United Nations.

The world has opened up for girls, but their rights stand on shaky ground. Because here’s the truth: progress on girls’ rights hasn’t gone far enough – and now it’s under attack.

Around the world, girls’ rights are being rolled back, hard-won freedoms questioned and misogyny repackaged as ‘common sense’. From the ban on girls’ education in Afghanistan to the rise of harmful ideas in the online manosphere.

There’s a growing sense that girls have ‘enough’. That equality has gone ‘too far’.

But the reality is stark.

50%

of all sexual assaults are committed against girls under 16 years old.

575m

girls live in countries where harmful gender norms contribute to violations of their rights.

32m

primary school-aged girls worldwide still do not go to school.

These aren’t just numbers: they’re real lives and futures on the line.

At the current rate of progress, gender equality is still 123 years away according to the World Economic Forum – at best. This is far from ‘mission accomplished.’

But together, the plan is still on – to push back wherever progress is threatened, to protect every inch of ground girls have gained, and to stand with every girl in every crisis. Until we are all equal.

Action for decision-makers

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ABOUT GIRLS’ RIGHTS
WHAT IS THE STATE OF GIRLS’ RIGHTS?
HOW CAN WE PROTECT GIRLS’ RIGHTS?

Girls’ rights are human rights. Which means girls should be able to enjoy life to the same degree as anybody else. But being a girl means they probably won’t.

Harmful gender norms remain strong in societies right across the world. Norms that lead to harassment, stigmitisation, bias and discrimination. Norms which cement inequality and in their worst forms, perpetuate violence.

Examples include beliefs that girls should do more household chores. Or that they are not worthy of an education. Or that they should be flattered by unwanted sexual attention.

Often these beliefs are rooted in societies’ structures and laws, too. Some countries still have laws which restrict women inheriting property. Others’ laws seem to forget girls exist altogether, failing to protect them.

Together these beliefs and structures place limits on what girls can do, the choices they can make and the opportunities they have. In short, they contribute to the violation of girls’ rights.

Girls’ rights are at a crossroads: while there has been real progress in key areas, inequality, backlash and violence continue to threaten those gains.

Some 50 million more girls are now enrolled in school compared to 2015 (UNESCO). Around 68 million cases of child marriage have been avoided in the last 25 years (Girls Not Brides). Rates of girls experiencing female genital mutilation/cutting have declined (UNICEF), and the adolescent birth rate for girls ages 15-19 has dropped from 64.5 births per 1,000 to 41.3 (WHO).

But gender equality is still 123 years away – at best.

Girls’ lives around the world are still defined by inequality. Many face daily discrimination and abuse, and struggle to access health services or quality education.

Hard-won rights are also being reversed. In Afghanistan, the Taliban’s continued ban on girls’ education beyond the sixth grade has led to over 1.4 million girls being out of school. In Iraq, the age of marriage for girls has been lowered to nine years old. In Sudan, conflict has fuelled a rise in gender-based violence, compounding the already dire situation for girls.

Intersecting factors like poverty, ethnicity and disability magnify girls’ disadvantage. It’s worse for girls living in emergency settings which rob them of their homes and support systems.

Aid cuts worsen the situation for girls too, as funders and governments roll back on previous commitments. Misinformation, disinformation and powerful anti-rights groups undermine progress and pose real threats to the lives and futures of girls in all their diversity around the world.

The state of girls’ rights today is one of fragile progress increasingly overshadowed by mounting threats. And when girls are pushed back anywhere, the ripple hits everywhere.

The first step to advancing girls' rights is to recognise girls as a unique demographic. This helps to identify what girls face and need across the world.

Ensuring girls can play an active role in decision making is also key. Girls are not responsible for solving the challenges they face. But their perspective makes their input invaluable.

Boosting girls' confidence to voice their opinions is also crucial. That's why we help girls learn about their rights and speak out on issues that matter to them.

And providing more opportunities for girls to learn new skills also helps. It creates the entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders of tomorrow.

All this helps equip girls to shape the world around them. And we stand with them.

Plan International was built for this moment – standing confidently beside girls, defending the progress they’ve fought for, and demanding the change they still urgently need.

We help to remove barriers by ensuring systems and laws reflect girls' unique needs. And we facilitate difficult conversations to tackle harmful gender norms and stereotypes.

Focusing on girls' rights helps create societies where all individuals can thrive. You can be part of it too. Because when you support Plan International UK, you stand with girls. You help keep girls learning, as they fight to stay in classrooms others try to shut. You help move rights forward, as girls push back against every attempt to roll them back. You help keep equality alive, as girls refuse to be silenced by those claiming it’s ‘gone too far.’

With you, the resistance grows stronger. With you, progress becomes harder to reverse. With you, the plan is still on.

“Women and men must have the same rights and opportunities”

Edith lives in the Dominican Republic where many girls face inequality, early pregnancy and limited opportunities. Through youth leadership programmes run by Plan International, Edith learnt how to advocate for girls' rights:

“The first thing they taught me was my rights and how to defend them. To understand that my voice should be heard, and that I have a lot to contribute, both to my community and to my country – and also to teach other young people that they can be agents of change.

“They gave me credibility in my community and made me visible to decision makers. My dream for girls and adolescents in the Dominican Republic is that they have safe spaces where they can be themselves, where they are listened to and their rights are defended.”