Defending girls’ opportunities and freedoms from attack
What decision-makers need to know and how to take action.
Across the world, progress has been made for girls. But now it’s being pushed backwards, reversing fragile gains made in recent decades.
We are at a critical juncture. Anti-rights movements are better funded and more coordinated than ever before. Humanitarian crises are increasing and becoming more severe, putting progress for girls at serious risk. The idea that equality has ‘gone too far’ is gaining ground, with misogyny spreading online. And girls are paying the price.
Denying girls their rights harms their lives, choices and futures. It also weakens the potential of us all. When girls’ rights are met, girls themselves benefit. But also, economies become fairer and societies become safer and more resilient – benefitting everyone.
Progress is still possible, and we can’t stop now. So, we’re launching a major new campaign, working with the public, our supporters and young people around the world.
But we urgently need your support to defend girls’ opportunities and freedoms.
of girls and young women in the UK do not feel ‘completely safe’ in public places.
girls and women alive today were married before the age of 18.
of girls globally will experience at least one extreme climate event before 2030.
What's happening for girls today
Girls’ rights are under threat
In recent decades, life has got better for many girls. More girls are in school. More girls can choose if, when, and who to marry. More girls are growing up without experiencing an unintended or unwanted pregnancy. These gains were hard-fought for. By girls and women, feminist organisations, civil society and Global South governments.
But right now, that progress is under threat. Between 2019 and 2022, almost 40% of countries saw gender equality stall or even regress – because of increasing conflict, accelerated climate breakdown, regressive policies and laws, and anti-gender equality campaigns. That’s over one billion women and girls living in places where their rights are no longer moving forward.
In the UK, girls have told us that they feel their rights are under attack, and that the progress on gender equality they were promised is stalling.
Public attitudes are shifting too – and not in girls’ favour. Nearly half of people in the UK think gender equality has ‘gone far enough’. But we know it hasn’t. Not when so many girls are still out of school. Facing violence and harassment. Denied sexual and reproductive healthcare. Ignored when decisions are made about them.
And these challenges are growing. The anti-rights movement is attacking and regressing hard-won freedoms, while conflict and climate crises are limiting girls’ rights directly.
Anti-rights movement
Across the world, the anti-rights movement is rolling back progress on gender equality.
It’s made up of multiple organisations, international networks, and influential public figures. Some coordinate closely, while others act alone. But they appear united by a broader agenda. One that erodes gender equality and limits freedoms. In the UK, 65 anti-rights groups are operating, including anti-abortion organisations and groups promoting so-called ‘conversion therapy’.
Funding to the anti-rights movement is rising fast. There’s been more spending in recent years across the UK, Europe and Africa. This is backed by wealthy donors and ultra conservative religious networks.
The anti-rights movement uses tactics like division, disruption, and sharing mis and disinformation. And it presents gender equality as a threat to ‘traditional values’. They can co-opt human rights language to boost their legitimacy. They can take advantage of contexts and countries where people have less freedom to speak out and deliver training camps for young people to increase their influence.
Online, influencers in the manosphere spread misogyny, misinformation and harmful gender norms. This impacts how the public view gender equality. The manosphere is moving misogyny into the mainstream according to UN Women. This misogynistic content impacts girls, but also has a huge impact on boys and young men. Promoting rigid gender norms. Exposing them to extreme content. Harming their mental health.
The consequences for girls are immediate and devastating. In the UN, anti-rights movements are blocking decisions that protect girls. Sexual and reproductive health services and information is restricted in countries like the US, Poland and Brazil. This limits contraception, sex education and access to safe abortion, and undermines fundamental rights. In Iraq and Gambia, hard-won laws to prevent child marriage and female genital mutilation/ cutting are under growing attack. Girls also face rising harms online, including misogyny and misinformation. This is not a distant threat. It is happening now - and girls are paying the price.
Humanitarian crises
Humanitarian crises – including conflicts and climate disasters – are increasing in number, severity and complexity. And they’re compounding risks for girls.
In crises, girls face unique risks shaped by both their age and gender. They’re more likely to be pulled out of school. Pushed into early marriage as families struggle to survive. And denied access to vital sexual and reproductive health services. When food is scarce, girls eat least and last. When families are displaced, girls’ risk of violence, exploitation, and abuse increases.
The anti-rights movement is hampering life-saving humanitarian responses. It’s influencing governments to restrict aid that girls need in times of crisis. Like for sexual and reproductive health and rights. Aid cuts mean half of women’s rights and women-led organisations in countries affected by humanitarian crises are at risk of shutting down according to UN Women.
Conflicts are worsening, and stripping girls of their rights. In conflict, girls are often the first to lose access to education and the opportunity and safety that school can provide. In Sudan, girls are facing extreme levels of violence. Including rape and sexual assault. In Gaza, vital supplies like medicines and period products are blocked from reaching women and girls who account for 67% of the people killed. Conflict also increases risk to maternal health. Childbirth turns into a life-threatening risk.
The climate crisis is one of the biggest crises facing women and girls globally. And the situation is worsening. By 2030, three in five girls globally will be exposed to extreme climate events – like hurricanes, floods and droughts. Climate change may push up to 158 million more women and girls into poverty. It also worsens abuse and violence. Child marriage is more likely in times of climate crisis, as families struggle to make ends meet.
How you can take action to support girls
Progress is still possible, but we are at a tipping point. Losing progress has devastating consequences for millions of girls around the world. But it also risks making the world a much less safe, equal, and prosperous place for us all.
Girls deserve safety, equality, and the freedom to shape their own futures, and their rights need to be protected. The UK faces a clear choice: to stand firm in support of girls, or to allow hard-won progress to slip away.
We are calling on the Government to champion girls’ opportunities and freedoms at home and globally – and you can help make that happen.
1. Use your voice. Show your leadership.
Champion girls publicly and consistently.
You can support by:
Speaking out in the Chamber, in committee hearings and in the media to keep girls and their rights on the political agenda.
Meeting directly with girls and young people - including Plan International UK’s Youth Advisory Panel - and raising their priorities in Parliament, debates and written/oral questions.
Marking key moments such as International Women’s Day (March), International Day of the Girl (October), and the 16 Days of Activism to Prevent Gender Based Violence (November – December) with public statements, event attendance, and constituency engagement.
2. Shape UK Foreign Policy. Strengthen Accountability.
Press Ministers to uphold girls’ freedoms and opportunities worldwide through UK diplomacy and aid.
You can support by:
Writing to the Foreign Secretary calling for stronger UK action for girls and women in crisis settings, including Sudan and Gaza. Download the template
Calling on Ministers to promote and defend gender equality and girls’ rights in international forums like the UN, G20, and World Bank.
Urging the Government to protect UK aid for gender equality, including funding for sexual and reproductive health and rights, education, and protection from violence.
3. Advance the rights of girls in the UK. Secure their future.
Hold the Government to its commitments and strengthen protections for girls.
You can support by:
Pressing the Government to deliver on its manifesto commitment to halve violence against women and girls, including through implementing and delivering on the Violence Against Women and Girls Strategy.
Monitoring the work of the Women and Equalities Committee to ensure scrutiny and progress, including sharing relevant briefings and evidence with members.
Working across parties to safeguard girls’ opportunities and freedoms in upcoming legislation.
Image caption: Youth representatives from Cupar YMCA-YWCA, GYROS (Great Yarmouth), United Youth Alliance (Blackpool) and Plan International UK’s Youth Advisory Panel campaign outside parliament ahead of the State of Girls’ Rights in the UK reception event.
How Plan International UK can support you
We are happy to support you to stand up for girls around the world, including here in the UK.
We can support by providing:
1. Ideas for parliamentary questions
2. Connections with different organisations
3. Opportunities to meet with young people
4. Further information and briefings on specific topics.
Join our parliamentary mailing list
Sign up for updates, briefings and opportunities to engage in our campaign.
Related content
Girls Rights
Five reasons why girls’ rights are under attack
The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK