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Study reveals best and worst places to be a girl

Study reveals best and worst places to be a girl

LONDON (12th September) - A major new report published today (12th) ranks for the first time the best and worst areas to be a girl in England & Wales.

The landmark research uses five key indicators to produce a league table of local authorities, with Middlesbrough rated the worst and Waverley, Surrey, the best.

Global children’s charity Plan International UK launches The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK as part of its flagship Because I am a Girl campaign to tackle gender inequality.

The charity is calling for a six-point action plan to progress girls’ rights across the UK – and Girls’ Rights Champions to be appointed at national, devolved and local levels.

“Girls are facing harassment in schools, they don’t feel safe online and they’re scared every day on the street,” says Plan International UK head of girls’ rights, Kerry Smith.

“Despite being one of the most developed countries on earth, too many girls in the UK don’t enjoy their rights.”

The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK ranks areas according to child poverty, life expectancy, teenage pregnancy, GCSE results and numbers Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEETs).

It provides a stark geographical divide for girls’ prospects, with inner-city urban areas performing worst.

Just above Middlesbrough making up the bottom five in ascending order are Blackpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Liverpool.

Following Waverley in descending order and completing the top five are Rushcliffe, Notts, Chiltern, Bucks, Mole Valley and Epsom and Ewell, both Surrey.

“The UK is failing to meet its obligations to girls as set out in international human rights protocols and as things currently stand will fail to meet its obligations under the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,” says Smith.

“What is more, our study shows that a girl’s life chances are tied to where she lives.”

The report also draws on interviews from girls all around the UK – shining a light on daily discrimination, harassment, abuse and expectations of girls should look and behave.

Girls are subjected to high levels of violence, even at school, with one in five UK women reporting an experience of sexual abuse during their education.

While girls perform better than boys at school, their experiences are often reinforcing stereo-types and precluding them from choosing certain subjects and careers.

The online world amplifies issues faced by girls, meanwhile, with huge pressures on how they should look and behave.

“Only by providing parents, teachers and pupils with the right training and support will we ensure schools become part of the solution rather than the problem,” says Smith.

Plan International UK’s proposed six-point plan for girls comprises:

* Creating Girls Committees at local level to give them a platform to help improve their own lives

* Mandatory sex and relationships education in schools, as part of a holistic approach to tackling gender inequality through education

* Redoubling of efforts to end violence against girls, starting with a more joined up effort across government departments

* Involving men and boys in the solutions for girls as much of the sexism, harassment and violence experienced by girls comes from their peers, while negative gender stereotypes affect boys too

* Better data so that policymakers can find the right responses in the right areas to improve girls’ lives

* A cross-departmental UK Government delivery strategy for the SDGs, with a focus on how they are being met for girls in the UK

“Urgent action is needed at local and national level to improve girls’ lives in the UK,” says Smith. “Only by breaking down these barriers will we truly deliver equality for girls.”