Five reasons why girls’ rights are under attack
Learn why it matters.
You might have heard that girls’ rights are being ‘rolled back’. But what does that mean? Are we talking time travel? An elaborate yoga pose? Not quite. Sadly, this isn’t sci-fi (or a cure for sciatica) – it’s a dangerous reality.
We know the world has opened up for girls. More girls are going to school and fewer are experiencing violence. But we’re not done. Because every day there's pushback. A growing sense that girls have enough. That equality has gone ‘too far’. (Spoiler: They don’t. And it hasn’t.)
In fact, progress towards gender equality is slowing down. Hard-won rights are under attack - at risk of being undermined and reversed
Frankly, we’re not ok with that – and you shouldn’t be either.
Here’s why it’s happening, and why it matters.
“Here in Peru, we girls want a different world and we want to see a country where girls and boys have the same opportunities and the same access to education and all the basic services that we deserve – because it is our right in the end.” – Cielo, 17.
1. Aid cuts are slashing girls’ futures
The world’s richest countries are tightening their belts – and guess who’s feeling the pinch? Funding for girls’ education, protection and empowerment has been slashed or diverted elsewhere, including by big players like the UK and US governments. This means vital programmes that help children around the world go to school, stay safe from violence and exploitation, and shape their own futures are ending. And when one government deprioritises support for girls, others follow. This means an entire generation of girls are being denied the right to learn, lead and live free from harm. Not cool.
2. Crises are hitting girls hardest
From conflict to climate disasters, crises are rising around the world, and girls are often first to be denied their rights. Girls and women make up 80% of people forced to flee their homes because of climate change, and 95% of those who experience conflict-related sexual violence. In emergencies, schools close and girls are more likely to be pushed into early marriage to make ends meet, while being uprooted makes them targets for violence and exploitation.
"I was only 10 years old when I first noticed how girls were treated differently to boys in my community. This inspired me to take action to protect other girls from facing the same fate,” says Nyabhan, 19 from Ethiopia.
3. Misogyny is back in fashion (and it ain’t pretty)
Globally, a new wave of influencers with regressive views, and the rise of the far-right are pushing misinformation and driving the harmful narrative that equality’s gone too far. In the UK, nearly one in four adults think progress on gender equality has negatively impacted men, and one in five support a return to ‘traditional gender roles’. This is part of a growing movement rooted in misogyny and born out of fear. This backlash is seriously harmful, not only to girls and women, but to boys and men too. Because outdated gender stereotypes, violence and inequality harm us all.
4. Laws are being re-written and reversed
In some places, progress on gender equality is already being reversed. Education bans for women in Afghanistan. Amended laws in Iraq lowering the marriage age. Restrictions on reproductive rights like access to safe abortions in the US, Poland and elsewhere. What happens in one country doesn’t stay there. Injustice travels. And rights don’t erode in isolation. Each decision sends a harmful message that it’s acceptable – easy, even – to restrict girls’ rights. But guess what? It’s not. When one girl is pushed back, we all fall behind.
5. Age old inequality never left the room
Much has changed for girls, and it should be celebrated. More girls today are going to school and fewer are being forced to marry or undergo harmful practices like Female Genital Mutilation (FGM).
But no country in the world has achieved gender equality yet. Still today:
- 129 million girls can’t go to school. [1]
- 1 in 5 girls experience sexual abuse and violence before turning 18 [2]
- 12 million girls are forced to marry every year. [3]
- Over half of women say they don’t feel safe walking home at night. [4]
And that’s just not good enough.
"I have succeeded in preventing over 15 marriages. I will not stop raising up the issue of girls’ rights until child marriage and the discrimination of girls ends,” says Eunice, 18 from Mozambique.
The good news? Girls aren’t giving up. And neither should you.
Every single day, girls are taking charge – staying in school, protecting their health, driving change in their communities and speaking out even as it becomes harder and riskier.
From London to Lilongwe, the plan is still on. Plan International was made for this moment. To stand beside girls, to guard what’s been won, and demand what’s still missing. To make noise, make change and make sure girls are safe, free and valued.
The plan is still on: until we are all equal
This Day of the Girl we won’t stop. While they’re rolling back girls’ rights, Plan International is rolling out support in over 80 countries. Working together with local partners to push back across borders. To protect progress wherever it’s under threat. To stand with every girl, in every crisis, in every country.
Follow us on Instagram and TikTok to join us and stand with girls.
[1[ Plan International, 2024. Against all odds: clearing the way for girls in Mali to learn
[2] Girls Not Brides, 2023. The latest evidence on child marriage: trends in prevalence and burden around the world
[3] Girls Not Brides: About Child Marriage
[1] Equal Measures 2030: 2022 SDG Gender Index