Why adolescence?

Adolescent girls are often overlooked and classed as ‘women’ or ‘children’, when in fact it is very important that they are recognised as having particular needs in terms of their education, safety, healthcare and participation. When they reach adolescence, girls can come up against pressure to marry, to be involved in sexual relationships, to drop out of school, or to stay at home and care for younger children and support their mothers with housework. Disasters often bring financial and emotional strain on families; parents may lose their jobs, homes may be destroyed. Adolescent girls are often the first to miss out on schooling, and can find themselves propelled into an early marriage so that their cash-strapped families have one less mouth to feed.

Why should young people be interested in this topic?

Getting a youth perspective

GIRLS’ RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS