Efforts made to advance the rights of girls in the developing world

The United Nations Adolescent Girls Task Force, has pledged to step up efforts to address the human rights of adolescent girls in the developing world.

During the next five years, the task force aims to increase support to developing countries to advance key policies and programs that empower the hardest-to-reach adolescent girls, particularly those aged 10 to 14 years.

Many of the 600 million adolescent girls living in developing countries remain invisible in national policies and programs. They live in poverty and are subject to multiple forms of violence, abuse and exploitation, such as child labour, child marriage and other harmful practices.

The UN Adolescent Girls Task Force has identified five strategic priorities for the advancement of adolescent girls in developing countries:

• Educate adolescent girls: Ensure adolescent girls have access to quality education and complete schooling, focusing on their transition from primary to post-primary education and training, including secondary education, and pathways between the formal and non-formal systems.

• Improve adolescent girls’ health: Ensure adolescent girls’ access to age-appropriate health and nutrition information and services, including life skills-based sexuality education, HIV prevention, and sexual and reproductive health.

• Keep adolescent girls free from violence: Prevent and protect girls from all forms of gender-based violence, abuse and exploitation, and ensure that girls who experience violence receive prompt protection, services and access to justice.

• Promote adolescent girl leaders: Ensure that adolescent girls gain essential economic and social skills and are supported by mentors and resources to participate in community life.

• Count adolescent girls: Work with partners to collect, analyse, and use data on adolescent girls to advocate for, develop and monitor evidence-based policies and programmes that advance their well-being and realize their human rights.

In a joint statement issued to the media on 3rd March 2010 – the International Labour Organization (ILO), United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM), and World Health Organization (WHO) – called on Member States of the UN to join them in accelerating efforts to protect the rights of these adolescent girls.

Source: ILO/UNESCO/UNFPA/UNICEF/UNIFEM/WHO