The plan is still on
This International Day of the Girl, we won't clock out of the fight.
The world has opened up for girls. But we’re not done. Not even close.
Every day, there’s pushback. A growing sense that girls have ‘enough’. That equality has gone ‘too far’.
Against waves of misinformation, here’s a chime of the truth: girls’ hard-won rights are under attack. Every day, everywhere. Wound back like clocks in the wrong hands.
When one girl is pushed back, we all fall behind. Injustice travels. Misogyny echoes. Rights don’t erode in isolation.
But girls won’t be forced back in time. Rewound, paused, or silenced. And we won’t clock out of the fight.
The clocks have gone back. But it’s not time to give up on girls. The plan is still on. Until we are all equal.
Gender equality is going backwards
New research reveals one in three young Brits fear progress on gender equality could reverse. To warn against 'turning back the clock’ on women and girls’ rights, we worked with Yorkshire-based artists Sand In Your Eye to create a giant sand artwork on Blackpool beach.
The striking 50-metre-wide piece, shows girls pulling the hands of a clock forward beneath the message: “Girls won’t be forced back in time”.
The work was unveiled as the clocks went back on 26 October 2025 — a symbolic reminder, that rights and freedoms hard-won over generations are now under threat.
Why do girls' rights matter?
girls are still denied the right to go to school.
of women across 139 countries say they do not feel safe walking alone at night.
girls are forced into marriage every year.
Why are girls' rights under attack?
Generations of effort have transformed the world with and for girls. But it’s unfinished business.
Right now, progress towards gender equality is stagnating and girls’ hard-won rights are under attack.
From rolling back sexual and reproductive health and rights to escalating conflicts. Form aid cuts to rising misogyny.
Girls are making change
In Mozambique, 18-year-old Eunice is preventing child marriage: “ I will not stop raising up the issue of girls’ rights until child marriage and the discrimination of girls ends.”
In Peru, 17-year-old Cielo is helping girls seize their education: “For me, it’s a very big issue to see so many children dropping out of school.”
And in Ethiopia, Nyabhan is focused on an end to violence: “I want a community that is free from gender-based violence.”
Every single day, girls are taking charge. They’re staying in school, protecting their health, driving change in their communities and speaking out even as it becomes harder – and riskier.
But they're not alone. Plan International was built for this moment, standing fiercely beside girls, defending hard-won progress and demanding the change girls still urgently need.
This International Day of the Girl, are you with us?
Sign up to Receive a girls' Rights poster
From October 10 to November 11, 2025, get a limited-edition poster designed by inspiring women – and stand up for girls’ rights.
To mark International Day of the Girl, we're giving away exclusive posters created by influential figures who are speaking out against the global rollback of women’s and girls’ rights.
Designs come from former US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, international football coach Sarina Wiegman, and Mel B of the Spice Girls – alongside powerful contributions from Downton Abbey actress Joanne Froggatt, viral singer-songwriter Paris Paloma (of feminist anthem "Labour"), and Skin, lead singer of Skunk Anansie.
Sign up to sponsor a girl and her community with Plan International UK, and receive your exclusive poster as a thank-you. Together, we can help create a fairer, safer world for girls everywhere.