Silent Suffering: The Persistent Violation of Girls' Rights

On 19 December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted resolution 66/170 proclaiming 11 October as the International Day of the Girl, in recognition of the rights of girls and the unique challenges they face around the world. This day draws attention to the need to address these issues, to promote the empowerment of girls and to protect their rights because girls’ rights are human rights.???????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Girls' rights violations encompass a range of issues, often rooted in gender inequality and discrimination.

1. Child Marriage

Child marriage is a significant violation of girls' rights which involves marrying girls under the age of 18, often forcing them into early unions with older men. According to UNICEF[1] , the prevalence of child marriage is much higher among girls than boys. Levels of child marriage are highest in West and Central Africa, where nearly 4 in 10 girls were married before age 18.A third of the world's child brides are in India.

Despite global progress, reductions are not fast enough to meet the ultimate goal of eliminating child marriage by 2030. UNICEF's latest report on the subject reveals that at the current rate of progress, it will take another 300 years to eliminate child marriage.[2] Child brides face health risks, limited education opportunities, and increased vulnerability to violence.

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2. Harmful practices

FGM involves the partial or total removal of external female genitalia for no health benefits. More than 200 million girls and women have been victims of female genital mutilation (FGM). 30 countries in Africa, the Middle East and Asia[3] are affected by this harmful practice that causes severe physical and psychological consequences. While the overall prevalence of FGM has fallen over the last three decades, not all countries have made progress. Some have made efforts, others have not, and the rate of decline remains uneven across the world.

?In some African countries especially in remote villages, a sexual rite of passage is still practiced. This is a ceremonial event marking a young girl's passage to sexual maturity and adulthood, involving some form of sexual activity. Pre-pubescent girls are sent to a training camp where well-known women teach them how to cook, clean and have sex in order to become good wives. After this training, a man in the traditional position of hyena performs a ritual of sexual cleansing in exchange for a sum of money. In? Malawi, young? girls were sent by their families to lose their virginity in sexual initiation camps. They were forced to have sex with older men called “hyena”[4] , some of whom were HIV-positive. Some of them even became pregnant during this period and are at risk of HIV infection because they have unprotected sexual relationships.

3. Period Poverty

The heavy weight of tradition and the misinterpretation of religion in some regions have led to a culture of fear around Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR).Menstruation is often associated with impurity and shame. This shame also prevents girls from talking about menstrual problems[5], particularly access to sanitary towels and the difficulties they face during this period.

Most girls are not well informed about menstruation until they are confronted with their first period, making the experience negative and even traumatic. In addition to this, many girls miss school because they dont have access to menstrual products, which means they fall behind at school or even drop out, especially in rural areas.

For teenagers who have access to equipment and a private place to wash and change, its common for them to miss out on school, work and social activities during their periods[6].

4.Lack of Education

Generally speaking, education is increasingly accessible to young girls throughout the world. However, girls are often denied access to education, limiting their opportunities and perpetuating gender inequality.

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Factors such as poverty, cultural norms and gender stereotypes contribute to this violation, particularly in conflict zones. In Afghanistan, 1.1 million girls over the age of 12 are deprived of schooling.[7]UNESCO’s latest study shows that nearly 30% of girls in the country have never entered primary education[8].In addition to this, supply of water and food generally falls to women and girls. According to WHO/UNICEF JMP report, those aged over 15 are primarily responsible for collecting water in 7 out of 10 households[9] that obtain their water from outside home. Women therefore bear the disproportionate burden of providing water, food and fuel especially in the face of environmental and conflict-related challenges because they have to walk further and spend more time fetching water and fuel. Girls sometimes have to drop out of school to help their mothers with these responsibilities, perpetuating the cycle of gender inequality[10].

?5. Limited Healthcare Access

Girls also face risks in terms of access to healthcare. Because they have limited access to healthcare, girls are more likely to have unwanted pregnancies and sexually transmitted diseases, especially if they do not have access to information about their sexual health.

In some regions, they may have limited access to healthcare, leading to higher mortality rates due to preventable diseases and complications during childbirth. This is also the result of a lack of medical supervision throughout the process.

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?Efforts to combat these violations include legal reforms, awareness campaigns, and programs that promote gender equality, education, and healthcare access for girls.

[1] UNICEF, Child marriage, Last update: June 2023, https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-protection/child-marriage/

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[2] UNICEF, Latest trends and future prospects 2023 update, May 2023 available here https://data.unicef.org/resources/is-an-end-to-child-marriage-within-reach/

[3] ? WHO, Female genital mutilation, 31 January 2023, available here https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/female-genital-mutilation

[4] Jill Reilly, The sex initiation camps of Malawi where ten-year-old girls are sent by their families to lose their virginities, Daily Mail UK, 05 Feb 2014, available here https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2552195/amp/The-sex-initiation-camps-Malawi-ten-year-old-girls-sent-families-lose-virginities.html

[5] Michel J, Mettler A, Sch?nenberger S, Gunz D. Period poverty: why it should be everybody’s business. Journal of Global Health Reports. 2022

[6] WHO/UNICEF JMP report on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, Progress on household drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022:? Special focus on gender, July 2023, available here https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/progress-on-household-drinking-water--sanitation-and-hygiene-2000-2022---special-focus-on-gender

[7] UN Women, Progress on the Sustainable Development Goals: The gender snapshot 2023 available here https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2023/09/progress-on-the-sustainable-development-goals-the-gender-snapshot-2023?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmvSoBhDOARIsAK6aV7iUJzeSq2Uk5cxOzS29wJPjxMWOZ-cuZv7OKfMCBVxUdYtnGPEXifkaAiy1EALw_wcB

[8] UNESCO, Let girls and women in Afghanistan learn!, January 2023, available here https://www.unesco.org/en/articles/let-girls-and-women-afghanistan-learn

[9] WHO/UNICEF JMP report on household drinking water, sanitation and hygiene, Progress on household drinking-water, sanitation and hygiene 2000-2022:? Special focus on gender, July 2023, available here https://www.who.int/publications/m/item/progress-on-household-drinking-water--sanitation-and-hygiene-2000-2022---special-focus-on-gender

[10] ?SIDA, Gender perspectives on causes and effects of school dropouts – final paper, January 2016, available here https://cdn.sida.se/publications/files/sida62010en-gender-perspectives-on-causes-and-effects-of-school-dropouts.pdf

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