AND1995 when, finally, the “Beijing Action platform” was finally adopted by 189 countries. It was a revolutionary document that identified 12 critical areas of intervention for women’s rights e committed 189 signatory countries, to take concrete actions against gender discrimination. Thirty years later, Unicef, Plan International and a Women wanted to verify how much that promise actually realized. This is how it is born “Girl Goals: What has changed for girls? The rights of teenagers in 30 years“, A relationship that, beyond celebrating progress, highlights how much still remains to be done.
Girl Goals of Unicef: thirty years between improvements and open wounds
Presented on the occasion of the International Women’s Daythe document is configured as a detailed map of an unfinished journey. If on the one handIndeed, significant improvements emerge in crucial sectors such as education, on the other hand, still open wounds are highlighted. Including the worst are millions of teenagers outside school courses, early marriages, violence and discrimination. All factors that they still deny too many young women the possibility of self -determined.
The misunderstood geography of education
The numbers tell a story of lights and shadows. In the last twenty years, The number of non -drained girls decreased by 39%indisputable progress. Still, 122 million young women have not yet access to education. The geographical gap is dramatic: In southern Asia, adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age have a triple probability compared to male peers not to attend school and have neither a job nor a training.
Unicef supports almost 18,000 education classes throughout Afghanistan (@facebook)
The complete educational path remains a mirage for many
Always, according to Girl Goals of Unicef, Almost 4 out of 10 girls do not complete the upper secondary schoolwith even more discouraged percentages for those coming from rural contexts or marginalized communities. And if female illiteracy has almost halved in thirty years, However, 50 million young women remain who are unable to read or write A simple sentence. The digital gap is particularly worrying: In low -income countries, 9 out of 10 girls do not have internet access, while their male peers have twice the chances of being connected, a disparity that risks amplifying in an increasingly digitized world.
Violence: a silent pandemic
Gender violence emerges from the relationship as one of the most persistent plagues. The data are chilling: almost an out of four teenage girl, among the married or paired ones, has undergone violence from the partner. Fifty million young women have experienced the traumatic experience of sexual violence. Even more disturbing is the cultural normalization of these abuses: more than a third of teenagers, both girls and boys, between 15 and 19 years old believes that a husband is justified to beat his wife in certain circumstances. A cultural heritage that testifies how deeply rooted gender stereotypes are still in the new generations.
Harmful practices: a slow sunset
An area in which progress is tangible, It is that of harmful traditional practices. The practice of female genital mutilations is down: Countries such as Burkina Faso and Liberia have halved the percentage of girls subjected to this practice in the last 30 years. However, The rhythm of the change is still too slow: To achieve the eradication goal by 2030, the decline rate should accelerate 27 times. Similarly, child weddings decreased compared to 25 years ago, but globally, one in five girls still gets married during childhood. Here too, the geography of change is uneven: the greatest progress is recorded in southern Asia, while in Latin America and in the Caribbean the situation has remained substantially unchanged in the last 25 years.
Health and early maternity
On the reproductive health frontthe number of teenagers who give birth has almost halved in the last thirty years. Nevertheless, the projections for 2025, They speak of almost 12 million parts between girls aged 15-19 and, given even more alarming, of over 325,000 pregnancies between 10-14 yearsfor which the risks are particularly serious. The complications related to pregnancy and childbirth still represent a significant cause of mortality: they are responsible for about one out of 23 death among teenagers of 15-19 years all over the world. A fact that highlight how inadequate access to reproductive health services is still inadequate For young women.
Girl Goals of Unicef: an agenda for the future
Faced with this complex picture, The “Girl Goals” report is not limited to photographing reality, but proposes a concrete agenda to accelerate change. Three main guidelines: give voice to teenage girls in decision -making processes; focus on the areas where progress is stagnant; Use the data to direct investments where gaps are more evident. “Teenage girls are a powerful strength for global change. With the necessary support at the right time, they can contribute to achieving the objectives of sustainable development and remodeling our world, “said the UNICEF general director Catherine Russell. Thirty years from Beijing, in short, “Girl Goals” recalls that the road to equality is still long. But, he also remembers that every girl who goes to school, who avoids an early wedding or who has access to adequate care represents not only an individual victory, but a fundamental piece to build more equitable and sustainable companies.
I woman © RESERVED REPRODUCTION