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For the International Day of the Girl Child
11 October 2014 - By UN Experts
To End Violence Against Girls, Countries Must Make Efforts
to Empower Girls through Knowledge, Skills, Resources, & Postitive Life
Options
GENEVA (11 October 2014) – A group of United Nations
human rights experts* call on States to step up a gear in the fight against all
forms of violence against girls by moving beyond awareness raising to
empowering adolescent girls through knowledge, skills, resources and life
options.
On the occasion of the International Day of the Girl Child,
the UN experts stress that empowering adolescent girls and helping them reach
their potential is a key step to ending violence against women and girls.
“When an adolescent girl experiences violence, her choices
and opportunities are limited, and its effects can last throughout her lifetime
and extend to future generations.
For girls, violence – physical, sexual and emotional – is
prevalent in adolescence and is often perpetrated by those closest to them,
including relatives and partners. It is reported that around 120 million girls
under the age of 20 around the world (about 1 in 10) have experienced forced
intercourse or other forced sexual acts, and one in three ever-married
adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 (84 million) have been victims of emotional,
physical or sexual violence committed by their husbands or partners.
Violence against adolescent girls is far too common,
frequent and tolerated, often because of discrimination and pervasive gender
inequality. Deeply entrenched gender discrimination and social norms put
adolescent girls at risk of abuse and violence, compromising their safe
transition from childhood to adulthood.
Whether in times of peace, conflict, post-conflict or
transitions, violence against girls and women occurs on a continuum. It is
during adolescence that girls may become more vulnerable to fall victims of
abuse and violence, including its worst forms, such as rape, trafficking, sale,
exploitation and slavery. In addition, girl victims of sexual violence are at
high risk of unwanted pregnancy and of contracting sexually transmitted
diseases, and girls who are pregnant are five times more likely to die in
childbirth. These violations of the girls’ rights defeat the very essence of
their aspirations and opportunities.
Empowerment is key for preventing this from happening.
Empowerment through skills and education of girls to prevent them being trapped
in contemporary forms of slavery, child marriages and domestic servitude, among
others, is critical to the advancement of their human rights.
Efforts need to be taken to the next level in order to end
all forms of violence against girls, moving beyond awareness-raising to
supporting adolescent girls as key actors in shaping the present and the
future. It’s in our hands to collectively ensure that the environment in which
girls live is safe and supportive, and provides them with opportunities to
thrive.
We call on Governments, the UN system, civil society, and
public and private institutions to focus on the critical period of adolescence,
when key investments and support can set girls on a path towards empowerment,
through among others, access to education, reproductive and sexual health,
social and economic support, and participation in civic, economic and political
life.
We urge all relevant stakeholders, including youth
associations and children’s organizations, to join forces and reaffirm their
commitment to end violence against adolescent girls by increasing efforts for
making this scourge visible, unacceptable and punishable both in private and
public domains, and also providing victims with access to justice and holding
perpetrators accountable.
We appeal to all stakeholders to consolidate existing good
practices and focus on action and results, paving the way for a more
gender-equitable and child-centred post-2015 development agenda.
When adolescent girls are empowered, it benefits all.
Empowered girls grow into empowered women who can serve as active and equal
citizens and change agents, who make valuable contributions to the growth of
their communities and nations.
Society as a whole will benefit from the increased role of girls as leaders, agents of change and active participants in economic and development opportunities.”
(*) The
experts:
Urmila
Bhoola, Special
Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, its causes and consequences
Maud de
Boer-Buquicchio, Special
Rapporteur on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography
Maria Grazia
Giammarinaro,
Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially in women and children
Rashida
Manjoo,
Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences
Frances
Raday,
Chair-Rapporteur of the Working Group on the issue of discrimination against women
in law and in practice
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