Real but fragile progress for girls' rights worldwide
Although girls worldwide attend school more often and marry young less frequently than in the past, 91 percent still experience violence before the age of eleven. This is revealed in the report of the study 'Real Choices, Real Lives', which Plan International published on Monday. The conclusion is that eighteen years of progress are at risk due to the climate crisis and societal headwinds.
The study followed 142 girls in nine countries, including Benin, Brazil, the Philippines, and Vietnam, for eighteen years, from birth to adulthood. And there is both good news and less good news.
On the one hand, the results show a clear positive trend in the reduction of child marriages. While 46 percent of the mothers of the girls studied married before the age of eighteen, this figure stands at 13 percent for the current generation.
There are also gains in terms of education: 65 percent completed secondary school (or were well on their way to doing so), a significant improvement compared to the previous generation.
Violence
Despite all this progress, the report notes, on the other hand, that violence against girls remains ubiquitous. In addition to the 91 percent who faced physical violence as children, 54 percent of girls worldwide experience online abuse or intimidation. Its ubiquity and normalization affect their self-confidence and limit their social lives, according to the researchers.
Moreover, traditional gender roles still heavily influence daily activities. On average, girls spend five hours and fifteen minutes daily on unpaid care work, such as cooking and cleaning. From a very young age, they are given tasks that the boys in their families do not have to do. This "time poverty" comes directly at the expense of their education and rest.
Additionally, acquired rights are under pressure due to the rise of anti-rights movements and the climate crisis. "When food is scarce and incomes fall, girls miss school more often, take on even more household work, and face an increased risk of violence," the report states. Plan International is now calling on governments, NGOs, and communities to place girls at the center of policy so that the gains made are not lost.
| © BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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