International Women’s Day this year takes place against a backdrop of unprecedented ideological attacks, the erosion and reversal of hard-won rights around the world and severe de-funding of critical work, making efforts to advocate for girls’ rights more important than ever before. 

30 years on from the 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, the landmark declaration where 189 countries adopted the most comprehensive global agenda for the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, we are at a tipping point for girls’ rights.

Without urgent action, global gender equality could be worse in 2030 than when the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were agreed in 2015.  Today’s girls risk having fewer rights than their mothers and, in some cases, even their grandmothers. 

Over recent years, we have seen the regression of rights in several areas which directly impact the lives of children and young people, especially girls. Examples include:  

• banning comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) – denying essential information to children, adolescents and young people 

• restricting access to and funding for safe abortion  

• anti LGBTQIA+ laws  

• excluding girls and women from education, work and public spaces  

• lowering the age of marriage 

This negative shift is not incidental – it is part of a deliberate effort by a growing anti-rights movement, which uses divisive narratives to polarise the public and maintain patriarchal norms and power structures. 

Anti-rights and anti-gender groups are focusing their pushback on key issues that are at the core of girls’ rights. 

Here are 5 crucial girls’ rights at risk without urgent action: 

1. The right to an education 

Globally, 122 million girls remain out of school, often due to domestic work, child marriage and harmful gender norms that undervalue their education. Even for girls in school, discrimination, harassment, inadequate resources and gender-biased environments limit their potential and opportunities. 

The combination of being young and female, along with restricted access to quality education, places girls at a significant disadvantage, with lifelong consequences for their opportunities and well-being.  

The combination of being young and female, along with restricted access to quality education, places girls at a significant disadvantage, with lifelong consequences for their opportunities and well-being.  

Funding has been critical to efforts to increase the number of girls in education worldwide and must not be threatened. However, education is increasingly targeted by anti-rights movements seeking to maintain traditional gender stereotypes. These groups resist reforms that promote gender equality, oppose comprehensive sexuality education, and challenge initiatives that include discussions on LGBTQIA+ rights or diversity. 

2. The right to a life free of violence 

Globally, over half of children experience violence, with girls disproportionately affected. Annually, 60 million girls face sexual assault in schools, and 1 in 4 adolescent girls (aged 15–19) report experiencing physical or sexual violence from partners.  

Online harassment impacts more than half of adolescent girls, with 90% of child abuse material victims being girls. Girls with intersecting identities, such as with disabilities, from racial or ethnic minority status, or identifying as LGBTQIA+, face heightened risks both online and offline. 

Anti-gender movements pose further challenges by replacing gender-based concepts with sex-based terminology while actively restricting references to sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression and sex characteristics (SOGIESC).

Harmful social norms and gender stereotypes are the root causes of violence against children.

Harmful social norms and gender stereotypes are the root causes of violence against children. By promoting and reinforcing them, anti-rights actors are not only perpetuating inequality but also strengthening the very legal and social systems that enable and justify this violence. 

Coordinated global action is essential to dismantle these systems and ensure safe, inclusive environments for girls and women. 

3. The right to sexual and reproductive health

Adolescents aged 10-19 represent a pivotal age group for promoting well-being, health, and development, yet 1.2 million die each year from preventable health-related causes.  Despite progress over the past 20 years in maternal health, HIV prevention, treatment and care, and contraceptive use, many sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) issues remain stagnant or are regressing.  

Pregnancy and childbirth complications are the leading cause of death for girls aged 15-19, with risks doubling for pregnancies before age 15. In low-resource settings, 23 million girls aged 15–19 lack access to modern contraceptives, and 4 million undergo unsafe abortions annually. 

Gender inequality and the undervaluation of girls disproportionately expose them to violations of their sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Gender inequality and the undervaluation of girls disproportionately expose them to violations of their SRHR, often denying their autonomy and knowledge to make informed decisions about their sexuality. These challenges are intensified for marginalised girls and young women, including those living in poverty or crises, facing intersecting barriers. 

Anti-rights actors increasingly politicise SRHR, aiming to maintain control over and deny girls the right to make informed decisions about their bodies. The right to comprehensive sexuality education and the right to safe abortion are subject to particular attack. 

Girls and women’s bodies should not be the subject of patriarchal politics.   

4. The right to life and a healthy environment  

Girls experience crises differently from boys and women, often experiencing heightened risks of violence and exploitation. Yet, policymakers and the humanitarian community often overlook adolescent girls, viewing them as powerless and excluding them from decisions that directly affect their lives.  

Their unique needs frequently fall through the gaps of programmes designed for either children or women, leaving critical issues unaddressed. This neglect has devasting consequences for their well-being, especially in prolonged crisis settings. 

In addition, the climate crisis is the greatest intergenerational injustice of our time. Those who have contributed the least to the crisis are bearing the brunt of its impacts. Over one billion children remain at extreme risk from the climate crisis, which not only hinders development but also exacerbates humanitarian crises globally. 

Anti-rights movements increasingly target climate change discourse and policies, framing them as threats to economic growth, dismissing scientific consensus and propagating misinformation.

Anti-rights movements increasingly target climate change discourse and policies, framing them as threats to economic growth, dismissing scientific consensus and propagating misinformation. This pushback leads to climate inaction which disproportionately impacts adolescent girls, especially those in marginalised communities, exacerbates existing inequalities and prevents them from accessing key services like SRHR services and education. 

5. The right to participate in society  

Globally, children and young people, especially girls and young women, face significant challenges in realising their right to freely express their views and participate in civic and political processes. They are often dismissed as too immature for political involvement or stigmatised as potential disruptors, rather than recognised as capable leaders and drivers of positive change. 

Human rights defenders, particularly girls and young women, are increasingly impacted by a political landscape that offers fewer opportunities for their advocacy and input. According to Plan International’s State of the World’s Girls (2023), 61% of girls and young women involved in activism reported facing negative consequences because of their advocacy work. Among them, 27% were deterred by negative views from their communities and families. 

Young women continue to bear the impact of historical exclusion and encounter systemic barriers to accessing political spaces.

Young women continue to bear the impact of historical exclusion and encounter systemic barriers to accessing political spaces. These include structural obstacles, entrenched societal expectations, underrepresentation in leadership roles, and persistent risks of discrimination and harassment. 

Young people, who are often at the forefront of feminist movements bear a disproportionate burden of restrictive laws and crackdowns on protests, particularly those targeting youth-led gatherings advocating for LGBTQIA+ rights, feminism, and other progressive causes.  

As anti-rights movements gain influence, funding for progressive initiatives, such as reproductive rights, climate action, and human rights, which many young activists champion, frequently diminishes. Furthermore, the backlash and repression these activists face from anti-rights actors can have significant psychological effects, as well as increasing the risk of violence and harassment on and offline. These risks lead to self-censorship or even withdrawal from social media platforms, restraining their voices and activism. 

We must push for gender equality 

Gender equality benefits everyone. A gender equal world would be fairer, safer, healthier, more sustainable and more prosperous for us all. 

Regardless of where a girl is born or lives, she should be safe, free from abuse, and be able to fully realise her rights. 

Girls’ rights are universal. Regardless of where a girl is born or lives, she should be safe, free from abuse, and be able to fully realise her rights. 

We stand in solidarity with girls and women in all their diversity around the world whose rights are under threat. We advocate for all children, adolescents and youth everywhere, including and especially girls, who are so often marginalised and overlooked.   

The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) held between 10-21 March in New York provides a critical opportunity to reinforce commitments made during the Summit of the Future and push against the regressive forces that seek to diminish the rights and freedom of girls and young women.