Udenrigsudvalget 2019-20
URU Alm.del Bilag 133
Offentligt
2159796_0001.png
Foreword
1
A New Era for Girls
Taking stock of
25 years of progress
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0002.png
Acknowledgements
The preparation of this report was initiated and coordinated by the Gender Section,
Programme Division, UNICEF Lauren Pandolfelli and Kusum Kali Pal, Division of Data,
.
Analytics, Planning and Monitoring, were responsible for data analysis and interpretation of
the results, with inputs from Jan Beise, Claudia Cappa, Liliana Carvajal, Allysha Choudhury,
Aleya Khalifa, Chibwe Lwamba, Colleen Murray and Nicole Petrowski, as well as Vladimira
Kantorova and Mark Wheldon of UN Population Division. Kimberly Chriscaden, Lauren
Pandolfelli and Leigh Pasqual were responsible for report writing.
Valuable insights were received from Shelly Abdool, Patty Alleman, Prerna Banati, Elana Banin,
Gerda Binder, Lara Burger, Sheeba Harma, Karen Humphries-Waa, Shoubo Jalal, Shreyasi Jha,
Vrinda Mehra, Suguru Mizunoya, Catherine Muller, Maha Muna, Lauren Rumble and Sagri
Singh from UNICEF; Ginnette Azcona and Laura Turquet from UN Women; and Leila Asrari,
Jessica Malter and Selamawit Tesfaye from Plan International.
Editing: Naomi Lindt
Design and layout: Cecilia Silva Venturini
Please contact:
Gender Section, Programme Division
3 UN Plaza, New York, NY 10017
www.unicef.org/gender
[email protected]
Suggested Citation: United Nations Children’s Fund, UN Women and Plan International,
A New Era for Girls: Taking Stock of 25 Years of Progress,
New York, 2020.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0003.png
Contents
4
Taking stock
5
Foreword
6
Reflecting on a quarter century of progress
10
Education empowers girls for life and work
18
Gender-based violence and harmful practices violate
girls’ rights
26
Girls face heightened health risks in adolescence
36
Prioritizing actions with girls
38
Endnotes
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0004.png
4
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Taking stock
Nearly 64 million girls were born
in 1995, the year the Beijing
Declaration and Platform for Action
was adopted, beginning their lives
as the global community committed
to improving their rights. In 2020,
nearly 68 million girls are expected
to be born. The analysis presented
in this report shows that while girls’
lives are better today than they
were 25 years ago, these gains
are uneven across regions and
countries. This is particularly true for
adolescent girls.
To accelerate progress, girls need
to be involved in both the decision-
making and designing of solutions
that impact their future. This report
demonstrates the need to focus
on the realities girls face today
and addresses the critical issues
of ending gender-based violence,
child marriage and female genital
mutilation (FGM); making sure
girls have access to 12 years of
education and the skills they need
for the workforce; and improving
girls’ health and nutrition. This
analysis is not intended to be an
exhaustive assessment of girls’
rights and well-being, but rather a
review of progress for girls in key
dimensions of their lives. It draws
upon internationally comparable time
series data to assess advancements
against the strategic objectives for
girls set out in the Beijing Platform
for Action 25 years ago. Where a
lack of data prevents trend analysis,
the current situation of girls is
highlighted.
The evidence provides a foundation
for recommendations to global,
national and regional stakeholders
on important actions that would
enable girls to successfully transition
into adulthood with the ability to
make their own choices and with the
social and personal assets to live a
fulfilled life.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0005.png
Foreword
5
Foreword
Today’s more than 1.1 billion girls are
poised to take on the future. Every
day, girls are breaking boundaries and
barriers to lead and foster a safer,
healthier and more prosperous world
for all. They are tackling issues like
child marriage, education inequality,
violence, climate justice, and
inequitable access to healthcare. Girls
are proving they are unstoppable.
Back in 1995, the world adopted
the Beijing Declaration and
Platform for Action – the most
comprehensive policy agenda for
gender equality – with the vision
of ending discrimination against
women and girls. But today, 25
years later, discrimination and
limiting stereotypes remain rife.
Girls’ life expectancy has extended
by eight years, yet for many the
quality of that life is still far from
what was envisioned. Girls have
the right to expect more. The
realities they face today, in contexts
of technological change and
humanitarian emergencies, are both
remarkably different from 1995 and
more of the same: with violence,
institutionalized biases, poor learning
and life opportunities, and multiple
inequalities unresolved. There are
major breakthroughs still to be made.
There are many success stories:
Fewer girls are getting married or
becoming mothers, and more are
in school and literate – acquiring
key foundational skills for lifelong
success. But progress has been
uneven and far from equitable.
Girls from the poorest households
or living in fragile or humanitarian
settings are not benefiting from
the expansion in education, while
the girls who are in school are
struggling to secure the quality
education they need to compete in
a rapidly changing workforce, where
digital and transferable skills, like
critical thinking and confidence, are
indispensable.
Today, no matter where a girl lives,
she is risk of encountering violence
in every space – in the classroom,
home and community. And the
types of violence she will come
into contact with have become
increasingly complex with the rise of
technology. However, technology has
also opened up opportunities for girls
to grow their networks and learn
digital and transferable skills that will
prepare them for life and work.
To have an education and a future,
girls must also be healthy. Yet, when
it comes to making decisions about
their health and well-being, girls still
face significant barriers to accessing
and benefiting from health services
to meet their specific needs, such
as those related to sexual and
reproductive health – due to cost,
stigma, limited age-appropriate
information, fear of side effects or
limited decision-making autonomy.
In 2020, a gender-equitable world
is still a long way off. The next
steps for change must meaningfully
include girls as decision-makers and
designers of the solutions to the
challenges and opportunities they
face every day.
Girls are rights holders and
equal partners in the fight for
gender equality. They represent
a tremendous engine for
transformational change towards
gender equality. They deserve the
full support of the global community
to be empowered to successfully
transition to adulthood with their
rights intact, able to make their own
informed choices and with the social
and personal assets acquired to live
fulfilled lives.
We know the best advocates for
girls are girls. Every girl is a powerful
agent of change in her own right.
And, when girls come together to
demand action, shape policies, and
hold governments to account, we
can together change our schools,
families, communities and nations
for the better. As leaders, it’s our
duty to bridge the generations,
working with and for today’s girls to
raise their voices and achieve their
dreams.
Henrietta H. Fore
Executive Director, UNICEF
Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
Executive Director, UN Women
Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen
CEO, Plan International
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0006.png
6
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Reflecting on a quarter
century of progress
The world is home to more than
1.1 billion girls under age 18, who
are poised to become the largest
generation of female leaders,
entrepreneurs and change-makers the
world has ever seen. Girls are living
longer lives than they were 25 years
ago, when nations committed to
advancing gender equality as part of
the Beijing Declaration and Platform
for Action.
That’s eight more years to live
out their dreams, to participate in
decisions that affect their lives, and
to lead positive change in society.
Yet, girls continue to face enormous
hurdles in a world that still largely
favours boys and men. Girls are still
excluded from decision-making that
impacts their lives, and the most
marginalized girls – those from
ethnic minorities, indigenous groups
and poor households; living in rural
or conflict settings; and living with
disabilities – face additional layers of
discrimination.
Discrimination and harmful gender
norms starting at birth (and in
some places before birth through
female foeticide) set limits on what
behaviours or opportunities are
considered appropriate for girls.
These beliefs are often entrenched
in laws and policies that fail to
uphold girls’ rights, such as rights to
inheritance. At least 60 per cent of
countries still discriminate against
daughters’ rights to inherit land and
non-land assets in either law or
practice.
2
Girls born today can expect to
live nearly eight more years, on
average, than girls born in 1995.
1
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0007.png
Reflecting on a quarter century of progress
7
I am glad to be a girl because
when girls are given the chance,
we will fight for our rights and
pass on what we have learned
to other girls who are facing the
same situations.”
Zaharah, age 16,
from Uganda
Gender discrimination not only
restricts girls’ abilities to accumulate
human, social and productive assets,
limiting their future educational
and employment opportunities,
but also hinders their well-being
and diminishes their self-belief.
As a result, by the time girls reach
adolescence, many are left dreaming
instead of achieving.
When it comes to education today,
fewer girls are out of school. Nearly
two in three girls are enrolled in
secondary school compared to one in
two in 1998. However, we are facing
a globally recognized “learning crisis”;
this means, even when girls are in
school, many do not receive a quality
education. Many are not developing
the transferable skills, like critical
thinking and communication, or digital
skills needed to compete in today’s
labour market and gig economy. In
fact, worldwide, nearly one in four girls
aged 15–19 years is neither employed
nor in education or training compared
to 1 in 10 boys of the same age.
The risk of violence in every space
– online and in the classroom,
home and community – similarly
keeps girls from achieving. Thirteen
million girls aged 15–19 years have
experienced forced sex in their
lifetimes. Meanwhile, even though
harmful practices such as child
marriage and FGM have declined in
the past 25 years, they continue to
disrupt and damage the lives and
potential of millions of girls globally.
Further, conflict and displacement
only heighten the risk and realities
of gender-based violence. As girls
lose their support systems and
homes, and are placed in insecure
environments and in new roles,
their risk of gender-based violence,
including sexual violence, intimate
partner violence, child marriage and
abuse, increases.
While fewer adolescent girls are
becoming mothers today, they still
face a high risk of sexually-transmitted
infections and anaemia – risks that
increase when they struggle to access
age-appropriate health services and
information. This is nowhere more
obvious than in the case of HIV, where
adolescent girls continue to bear the
brunt of the virus’s effects. Globally,
970,000 adolescent girls aged
10–19 years are living with HIV today,
compared to 740,000 in 1995.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0008.png
8
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Girls are a unique group requiring focused commitments
The global community has good
cause to celebrate the progress
achieved over the last quarter century
in the name of girls’ rights. But we
cannot lose sight of the challenges
girls still face every day.
Twenty-five years ago, the Beijing
Platform for Action recognized that
childhood is a separate space from
adulthood. Girls’ needs, preferences
and vulnerabilities are related to
women’s, but are also distinct. The
Platform called upon governments,
donors and civil society to invest in
ending discrimination against girls and
eliminating barriers in health, nutrition,
education and related domains that
prevent them from realizing their
full potential. It also called upon
governments to ensure that all data
is disaggregated and analysed by
sex and age so governments can
formulate policies and programmes,
and make decisions that better
protect and support girls in achieving
brighter futures.
Adopted in 2015, the 2030 Agenda
for Sustainable Development renews
the commitment to creating a
world where all girls are healthy and
protected, learn and have a fair chance
to succeed. But, commitment has
not led to direct investments: Only a
fraction of international aid dollars is
spent on meeting the needs of girls.
3
Similarly, even forward-looking policies
and programmes addressing girls’
challenges specifically, including skills
development for employability, often
start only after adolescent girls have
transitioned into adulthood, missing
the millions of girls that have never
set foot in school and live in poverty.
Limited investment in these key areas
means girls are already lagging behind
when it comes to achieving equal
participation in society as adults.
Likewise, programmes and
interventions to support adolescent
girls are often disjointed, and they
fall through the gaps in approaches
only targeted at either children
or women. For example, efforts
to end child marriage are often
disconnected from efforts to support
school retention or secure sexual
and reproductive health. Adolescent
girls’ challenges and the solutions to
them must be addressed holistically,
as success in each area pushes
progress in another.
There is no definition of
what it means to be a girl.
What a man can do,
a woman can do, too.
I believe life would be
better if we didn’t have
those stereotypes.”
Lan*, Grade 10, Viet Nam
*name changed to protect identity
For progress to be achieved,
girls’ voices and solutions must
take centre stage, and the
global community, including
governments, civil society
organizations, multilaterals,
statisticians and the private
sector must work with girls
to take actions that set them
up to succeed.
Empowering girls will require the
global community to:
•
Expand opportunities for girls to
be the changemakers, actively
engaging their voices and opinions
in their communities and political
processes about any decision
that relates to their bodies,
education, career and future. All
actions should place girls’ voices
and solutions at the centre – no
decisions for girls, without girls.
Scale up investments in girls’
programming models that will
accelerate progress aligned
with today’s reality, including
in developing adolescent girls’
education and skills for the Fourth
Industrial Revolution; ending
gender-based violence, child
marriage and FGM; and ensuring
•
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0009.png
Reflecting on a quarter century of progress
9
My family’s situation and the
challenges I face every day to
attend school will not stop me
from continuing to fight for my
dreams. I worry that some of my
friends are not studying due to
lack of money or because they
are not interested in education
or because their family does not
support them. I always advise
them to return to school if they
want to have a better future.”
Timotea, age 14, from Guatemala
girls have accurate, timely and
respectful health information
and services. This also includes
building synergies and expanding
partnerships between adolescent
girls’ skills development and
women’s economic participation to
address persistent gender divides in
areas such as science, technology,
engineering, and math (STEM).
children and adolescents, including
adolescents aged 10–14 years,
particularly in areas where data
are limited, such as gender-based
violence, twenty-first century skills
acquisition, adolescent nutrition,
and mental health.
Additionally, to ensure all girls live
a fulfilled life, data must make
marginalized girls visible. This includes
girls living with disabilities, in poor
households and in rural areas, from
ethnic minorities and indigenous
groups, in fragile and conflict settings
and those who may be marginalized
due to sexual orientation or gender
identity. This would drive evidence-
informed policy and programme
decisions for adolescent girls,
alongside better accountability.
Once girls have gained the right
tools and the space to strengthen
their engagement and leadership,
they will be well placed to shape
the world around them, opening
doors for them to be at the heart
of decision-making processes that
affect their lives.
•
Boost investments into the
production and intersectional
analysis of high quality, timely
sex-and age-disaggregated data for
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0010.png
10
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Education empowers girls
for life and work
Primary education provides children
with the foundation for a lifetime of
learning, while secondary education
equips them with the knowledge and
skills needed to become empowered
and engaged adults. The benefits
of secondary education for girls are
significant. Compared to girls with
only a primary education, girls with
secondary education are less likely
to marry and become pregnant as
adolescents. And, while women
with primary education earn only
marginally more than women
with no education, women with
secondary education earn twice
as much, on average, compared to
women who never went to school.
4
Even so, completing secondary
school is insufficient if girls do
not acquire a quality education
with transferable skills, such
as critical thinking and problem
solving and digital skills, both of
which are needed in the labour
force. These are necessary for
future employability, yet too many
education systems worldwide fail
to deliver a quality education that
supports girls in their transition from
school to work.
Critical to ensuring girls complete
school is a home environment
that prioritizes learning and
a safe and supportive school
environment with functioning
toilets, a relevant curriculum,
and trained teachers.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0011.png
Education empowers girls for life and work
11
The number of girls out of school worldwide dropped by 79 million between 1998 and 2018
At the primary level, the number fell
by more than half, from 65 million to
32 million (see Figure 1). Regionally,
while fewer girls are out of school
today in East Asia and the Pacific,
and in South Asia (14 million and 45
million, respectively), the reverse
is true in sub-Saharan Africa. While
fewer girls of primary-school age
are out of school today in the
region, 2 million more girls of lower
secondary age and 5 million more
girls of upper-secondary age are out
of school today (see Figure 2). This
is because enrollment rates have
not kept pace with the increase
in the school-age population in
the region, which is home to the
fasting growing child population,
worldwide.
Gender disparities in the number
of out-of-school children have also
narrowed substantially over the
past two decades. At the secondary
level, they have shifted to the
disadvantage of boys.
Figure 1.
Number of out-of-school children, by level of education and sex, 1998–2018
World in 1998
400
Male
Primary age
Lower secondary age
Upper secondary age
Female
382.3 million
90.8 million
350
300
World in 2018
82.2 million
258.3 million
67.0 million
Number (in millions)
250
200
52.5 million
70.8 million
150
44.7 million
100
29.8 million
65.1 million
31.6 million
50
32.3 million
47.0 million
26.8 million
0
1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Source:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), September 2019.
Figure 2.
Number of out-of-school children, by sex, level of education, select regions,1998*
and 2018
45
Number (in millions)
Globally, in 1998, there were
more girls of secondary school
age out of school than boys
(143 million girls compared to
127 million boys). Today, the
opposite is true: There are 97
million girls of secondary school
age out of school compared to
102 million boys.
Still, despite the remarkable
gains made for girls in the past
two decades, they are still more
disadvantaged at the primary level,
with 5.5 million more girls than boys
of this age out of school worldwide.
Added to this, global progress in
reducing the number of out-of-
school children at the primary level
has stagnated for both girls and
boys since 2007.
41
40
38
35
32
31
30
25
24
24
20
19
17
18
15
12
13
9
13
11
10
7
7
6
5
4
14
15
13
15
14
21
21
20
18
20
15
10
9
7
5
7
3
0
3
Girls Boys
East Asia
and the Pacific
Girls Boys
South Asia
Girls Boys
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Girls Boys
East Asia
and the Pacific
Girls Boys
South Asia
Girls Boys
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Girls
Boys
East Asia
and the Pacific
Girls Boys
South Asia
Girls Boys
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Primary age
Lower secondary age
Upper secondary age
1998
2018
Source:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), September 2019.
Note:
*For South Asia, the first data point for lower secondary age and upper secondary age is 1999.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0012.png
12
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Today, two in three girls of secondary school age globally are enrolled in secondary school compared
to only one in two in 1998
Since 1998, globally, the gender gap in primary school enrolment has
narrowed from 6 percentage points to 2 percentage points. And at the
secondary level, the gender gap has closed (see Figure 3).
Figure 3.
Net enrolment rate, by sex and education level, 1998–2018
100
Primary school age
80
Percentage
Secondary school age
60
40
1998
2000
2003
2006
2009
2012
2015
2018
Total
Girls
Boys
Source:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics, September 2019.
While all regions have seen increases in girls’ secondary school enrolment over the past two decades,
there are wide regional variations today
Between 1999 and 2018, the
proportion of secondary school
age adolescent girls enrolled
in secondary school increased
from three in five to four in five
in East Asia and the Pacific and
from 33 per cent to 60 per cent
in South Asia. During this same
period, girls’ secondary school
enrolment rose from 57 per cent
to 71 per cent in the Middle East
and North Africa while in sub-
Saharan Africa, only 34 per cent
of girls of secondary school age
are enrolled in secondary school
today compared to 18 per cent in
1999 (see Figure 4).
Figure 4.
Female net enrolment ratio, by education level and region, 1999 and 2018*
100
96
94
81
95
94
90
83
95
94
92
79
67
79
71
95
95
94
88
87
72
67
60
54
80
60
61
57
Percentage
40
33
34
20
18
0
Secondary age
Secondary age
Secondary age
Secondary age
Secondary age
Secondary age
Secondary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
East Asia
and the Pacific
Europe and
Central Asia
Latin America and
the Caribbean
Middle East and
North Africa
North America
South Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
1999
2018 (or the latest year)
Source:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), September 2019.
Note:
*For East Asia and the Pacific and sub-Saharan Africa, the latest available data for primary age education are
2015 and 2009, respectively.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0013.png
Education empowers girls for life and work
13
Worldwide, four of five girls complete primary school but only two of five complete upper secondary
school
In all regions, girls and boys are
equally likely to complete primary
school (see Figure 5). But at the
secondary level, gender parity in
completion rates is not sustained
across all regions. For example, in
East Asia and the Pacific and Latin
America and the Caribbean, girls are
more likely than boys to complete
upper secondary school, but in South
Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, the
reverse is true. Only 38 per cent of
girls in South Asia and 29 per cent of
girls in sub-Saharan Africa complete
upper secondary school. And girls
from the poorest households are
often doubly disadvantaged. In low
income countries, for instance,
only 8 per cent and 2 per cent of
girls from the poorest households
complete lower secondary and upper
secondary school, respectively.
5
Figure 5.
Completion rate, by sex and education level, 2012–2018*
100
90
80
70
96
96
83
83
71
69
59
56
47
43
83
82
95
94
80
75
Boys
87
85
88
88
75
71
64
64
53
52
44
38
Girls
68
66
Percentage
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
50
45
48
42
35
29
Lower secondary age
Lower secondary age
Lower secondary age
Lower secondary age
Lower secondary age
Lower secondary age
Upper secondary age
Upper secondary age
Upper secondary age
Upper secondary age
Upper secondary age
Global
East Asia
and the Pacific
Latin America and
the Caribbean
Middle East
and North Africa
South Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Source:
UNICEF global databases, 2019, based on DHS, MICS, other national surveys and data from routine reporting
systems.
Note:
*Data refer to the most recent year available during the period specified in the chart title. Data were insufficient to
calculate a regional average for Europe and Central Asia and North America.
The number of female youth aged 15
–
24 years who are illiterate declined from 100 million to 56
million between 1995 and 2018, but 1 in 10 female youth remain illiterate today
Literacy, a basic foundational skill
necessary for personal growth and
active citizenship, has increased
globally among youth over the
past 25 years, but a gender gap
at the expense of girls persists.
Adolescent girls and young women
aged 15–24 years make up 56 per
cent of the global illiterate youth
population today compared to 61
per cent in 1995. South Asia has
seen the most progress for girls.
In 1995, 7 in 13 female youth were
literate compared to 11 in 13 female
youth, today. In sub-Saharan Africa,
the region with the widest gender
disparity in youth literacy rates, just
under three in four adolescent girls
and young women are literate today
(see Figure 6).
Figure 6.
Literacy rate among youth aged 15–24 years, by region and sex, 1995–2018
99 99
100
100
100
93
95
98
99
92
91
89
88
87
79
96
93
90
88
99 99
93
90
80
80
73
73
74
70
Percentage
76
60
61
54
50
40
1995
2018
1995
2018
1995
2018
1995
2018
1995
2018
1995
2018
1995
2018
World
East Asia
and the
Pacific
Europe and
Central Asia
Latin America
and the
Caribbean
Middle East
and North
Africa
South Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Female
Male
Source:
UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS), September 2019.
Note:
Data were not available for North America.
Upper secondary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
Primary age
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0014.png
14
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0015.png
Education empowers girls for life and work
15
Adolescent girls outperform boys in reading while math performance is more varied
Assessing the relative achievements
of girls and boys in secondary school
provides insights into whether
education systems are meeting
the needs of girls and boys equally.
Skills in reading and mathematics
are critical for anyone’s successful
entry into the labour market. These
skills also serve as the foundation
for others, such as digital literacy.
At the end of lower secondary school,
girls outperform boys in reading across
all countries with available data. In
math proficiency, results are more
varied, with girls performing better than
boys in about half of the countries
with available data (see Figure 7).
While there has been much debate
about the factors that account for
gender differences in educational
attainment, emerging evidence
of the role of positive gender
socialization, both at school and
at home, suggests that parents,
teachers and policymakers can foster
foundational skills in reading and
math in all children.
6
Lower expectations of girls’
performance in subjects other than
reading and a lack of role models
become barriers for girls to develop
essential skills for future careers,
such as digital skills or skills in
science, technology, engineering,
and math (STEM). This in turn
decreases their perceptions of
self-efficacy and ability and can
lead to girls being excluded from
developing skills crucial to engage
in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,
such as innovative and critical
thinking, problem solving and
entrepreneurship. As a result, many
adolescent girls leave school without
the skills required to succeed in
twenty-first century jobs.
Figure 7.
Percentage of children and young people at the end of lower secondary school achieving at least a minimum proficiency level in reading
and math, by sex, 2010–2017*
100
Higher proportion of boys
achieving reading proficiency
100
Higher proportion of boys achieving
mathematics proficiency
90
90
80
80
70
70
Boys (percentage)
60
60
50
50
40
40
30
30
20
20
10
Higher proportion of girls
achieving reading proficiency
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
10
Higher proportion of girls
achieving mathematics proficiency
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
0
0
Girls (percentage)
East Asia and the Pacific
Europe and Central Asia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
Girls (percentage)
North America
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Source:
United Nations Statistics Division, 2019.
Note:
Minimum proficiency level is the benchmark of basic knowledge measured through school-based learning assessments. Each dot represents a country, with x- and y-axes
indicating the proportions of girls and boys in the country achieving minimum proficiency, respectively. The diagonal line represents the gender parity line. Data points below the
gender parity line represent countries where higher proportions of girls than boys reach proficiency.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0016.png
16
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
In more than five of six countries with available data, girls aged 10–14 years are more likely than boys of the
same age to spend 21 or more hours on household chores per week
Starting in childhood, girls are
often assigned more household
chores than boys. This is often
due to gender norms that deem
domestic responsibilities as
women’s and girls’ work. In
countries in West and Central
Africa in particular, the gender
disparity in time spent on
household chores is stark.
For example, in Burkina Faso,
girls aged 10–14 years are three
times more likely than boys of
the same age to engage in 21 or
more hours of household chores
(see Figure 8).
Household chores are a normal
part of family life – for both girls
and boys – and are not always
detrimental to children’s health
and well-being. But, it is the
amount of time spent on chores
that can curtail girls’ opportunities
to enjoy the pleasures of
childhood, including time to play,
build social networks and focus
on their education.
7
The types
of chores girls typically perform,
including cooking, cleaning and
caring for others, also lay the
groundwork for girls to assume
a disproportionate level of
responsibility for these activities
as women, limiting their ability to
enter and advance in the labour
market.
8
Figure 8.
Percentage of adolescents aged 10–14 years who, during the reference week, spent
at least 21 hours on unpaid household services, by sex, 2010–2018*
Boys
Ethiopia
Benin
Girls
Rwanda
Chad
Burundi
Burkina Faso
Comoros
Niger
Mali
Central African Republic
Senegal
Afghanistan
Cameroon
Mauritania
Democratic Republic of the Congo
El Salvador
Angola
Mongolia
Uganda
Côte d'Ivoire
Guinea
Nepal
Togo
Sao Tome and Principe
Guinea-Bissau
Haiti
Malawi
Ghana
Chile
Nigeria
Zambia
Solomon Islands
Paraguay
Congo
Sudan
United Republic of Tanzania
Gabon
Iraq
State of Palestine
Cambodia
Egypt
Liberia
Peru
Sierra Leone
Bhutan
Viet Nam
Dominican Republic
Belize
Costa Rica
Colombia
Kyrgyzstan
Guyana
Eswatini
Albania
Jordan
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Suriname
Uruguay
South Africa
Ukraine
Mexico
North Macedonia
Algeria
Montenegro
Saint Lucia
Tunisia
Armenia
Georgia
Vanuatu
Serbia
Jamaica
Belarus
Trinidad and Tobago
Turkmenistan
Barbados
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
Source:
UNICEF global databases, 2019, based on DHS, MICS and other national surveys.
Note:
*Data refer to the most recent year available during the period specified in the chart title.
To me, it’s very sad that in the twenty-first century, men in many parts of
society still believe that women should stay at home, do all the chores, and
not study certain subjects.”
Yasmira, a youth advocate, from Colombia
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0017.png
Education empowers girls for life and work
17
Female youth labour force participation has declined over the past 25 years, owing in part to improved
educational opportunities
Globally, the participation of female
youth aged 15–24 years in the
labour force has declined from 47
per cent in 1995 to 33 per cent in
2020 (see Figure 9). This is partly
because of greater education
opportunities for girls. For example,
in East Asia and the Pacific, a
region that saw a substantive
increase in girls’ secondary school
enrolment over the past 25 years,
female youth participation in the
labour force has declined by 24
percentage points. But, the decline
as well as the sizeable gender
gap, cannot be explained only by
increasing educational opportunities
for girls. Globally, 22 per cent of
youth aged 15–24 years are neither
in employment nor in education
or training (NEET), 68 per cent of
which are adolescent girls and
young women.
9
Figure 9.
Youth labour force participation rate (percentage), by sex and region, 1995–2020
80
70
60
50
Percentage
40
30
20
10
0
1995
2020
1995
2020
1995
2020
1995
2020
1995
2020
1995
2020
1995
2020
1995
2020
World
East Asia
and the
Pacific
Europe
and
Central Asia
Latin
America and
the Caribbean
Middle East
and North
Africa
North
America
South
Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Male
Female
Source:
UNICEF calculations based on International Labour Organization data, 2019.
Nearly one in four adolescent girls aged 15–19 years globally are neither in education, employment nor training
compared to 1 in 10 boys of the same age
Among the proportion of
adolescents who are NEET, the
gender disparity is also stark.
In South Asia, for example,
adolescent girls are over four
times as likely to be in that
situation than adolescent boys
(see Figure 10). This suggests
that even in childhood, girls’
aspirations for education and
employment compete with gender
biases in the labour market and
societal expectations of girls,
such as marrying young and
having children, and assuming a
disproportionate share of unpaid
domestic and care work.
Figure 10.
Percentage of adolescents aged 15–19 years not in employment, education or
training (NEET), by sex, 2010–2018*
40
35
33
30
Percentage
25
24
22
20
20
15
12
13
10
10
12
13
11
8
10
5
0
World
Europe and
Central Asia
Latin America
and the Caribbean
North America
South Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Girls
Boys
Source:
UNICEF calculations based on International Labour Organization data, 2019.
Note:
*Data refer to the most recent year available during the period specified in the chart title. Data not available for
East Asia and the Pacific and Middle East and North Africa.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0018.png
18
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Gender-based violence and harmful
practices violate girls’ rights
Gender-based violence is one of
the most pervasive violations of
human rights across the world. It
occurs in various forms and does
not discriminate according to race,
religion, culture, class or country.
Predominantly experienced by
women and girls, it is rooted in
gender-based power imbalances
and fuelled by many factors,
including harmful gender norms
and insufficient legal protections.
When girls and women experience
gender-based violence, the impacts
are lifelong. It increases their risk of
HIV, unintended pregnancy, alcohol
abuse, suicide and depression.
rob girls of their childhood and
compromise their options and
opportunities throughout life.
Girls who marry before turning 18
are less likely to remain in school and
more likely to become pregnant in
adolescence. In some regions, they
are also more likely to experience
domestic violence. Child marriage
can isolate girls from family and
friends and exclude them from
participating in their communities,
taking a heavy toll on their physical
and psychological well-being. While
ending child marriage is a must,
mechanisms should also be set up to
ensure girls who are already married
receive the services and support
they need, including access to health
services and education.
Harmful practices, such as
FGM and child marriage are a
violation of girls’ human rights,
Such practices, which occur in a
wide range of countries, are driven
by complex interrelated factors,
linked to deep-rooted cultural gender
norms, insecurity and poverty.
Conflict and displacement heighten
the risks and realities of gender-
based violence and some harmful
practices, such as child marriage. As
girls and women lose their support
systems as well as homes, and are
placed in insecure environments and
in new roles, their risk of violence
increases. The trafficking of girls, for
example, tends to increase in crises,
including conflict and post-conflict
situations. In 2016, girls accounted
for about 23 per cent of detected
trafficking victims globally, the
majority of whom were trafficked for
sexual exploitation.
10
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0019.png
Gender-based violence and harmful practices violate girls’ rights
19
The combination of son preference and access to prenatal sex determination technologies has led
to the birth of more boys than biologically expected in some countries
Gender-based violence can begin
in utero. A combination of son
and small family-size preferences
and the availability of prenatal sex
determination technologies has
resulted, historically, in imbalanced
sex ratios in some countries in East
Asia and the Pacific, Europe and
Central Asia, and South Asia.
11
For
example, in Armenia, between 2001
and 2002, 118 males were born for
every 100 females, suggestive of
acute gender discrimination against
girls. Currently, the highest sex ratios
at birth are observed in Azerbaijan
and China, where 112 males are born
for every 100 females. However, with
the exception of India and Pakistan,
peaks in the sex ratio at birth have
been followed by steady declines in
the past two decades. And, in Georgia
and the Republic of Korea, values
have returned to biologically expected
levels. In the Republic of Korea, this
shift is partly attributed to legislation
banning sex-selective abortions.
However, in India, where sex-selective
abortions have been illegal since 1996,
the sex ratio at birth has remained
persistently high at 110 male births
per 100 females over nearly the past
15 years (see Figure 11).
Figure 11.
Imbalanced sex ratios at birth, select countries, 1970–2020
118
116
114
China
Azerbaijan
Male births per 100 female births
112
Viet Nam
Armenia
India
Pakistan
Albania
108
110
106
Georgia
Republic
of Korea
104
102
100
1970
1980
1990
2000
2010
2020
Source:
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division,
World Population Prospects
2019, online edition, rev. 1.
Note:
The sex ratio at birth represents the number of males born for every 100 females. Because more males are born than females, due to biological reasons, a natural sex ratio
at birth ranges from 103 to 107 male births for every 100 female births.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0020.png
20
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Child marriage has become less common over the past 25 years
Since 1995, the proportion of young
women who were married as
children has declined globally from
one in four to approximately one in
five. Encouragingly, this is happening
in countries where a large numbers
of girls are at risk, such as in South
Asia. In that region, the practice of
child marriage has almost halved in
the last 25 years, declining from 59
per cent to 30 per cent today (see
Figure 12).
Figure 12.
Percentage of women aged 20–24 years who were first married or in union before
age 18, by region
70
60
50
Percentage
30
20
10
0
But progress is far from
universal. Millions of girls
remain at risk of child
marriage today, particularly
the poorest girls.
In fact, the gap in prevalence
between the richest and poorest has
widened in most parts of the world.
Globally, progress to date has been
stronger among the richer segments
of society, and millions of girls who
are among the world’s poorest
remain vulnerable.
12
Moreover,
efforts to stop child marriage run up
against harmful gender norms, laws
and policies that fail to put girls’
rights first. For example, although all
but 4 of 170 countries and territories
with available data specify 18 as a
legal minimum age of marriage for
girls, nearly two thirds of countries
allow girls to marry before age 18
with parental or judicial consent.
13
40
World
South Asia
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Middle East
and North
Africa
Latin America
and the
Caribbean
Eastern
Europe and
Central Asia
East Asia and
the Pacific
25 years ago
10 years ago
Today
Source:
UNICEF global databases, 2019, based on MICS, DHS and other nationally representative sources.
Note:
Analysis based on a subset of 97 countries with nationally representative data from 2012–2018, representing 62
per cent of the global population of women aged 20–24 years. Regional aggregates are based on at least 50 per cent
population coverage. Data were insufficient to calculate regional averages for North America and Western Europe.
When I learned that my parents wanted to marry me off, I knew I couldn’t let
it happen. If I did, what kind of message would I be sending to other girls? With
community support, I told my parents, I’d go to the police if they didn’t give up.”
Phulan, age 18, from Nepal, who is now free to continue her studies
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0021.png
Gender-based violence and harmful practices violate girls’ rights
21
The prevalence of FGM has
declined over the past 25 years
but the pace of decline has
been uneven
Despite FGM being internationally
recognized as a human rights
violation that affects girls and
women worldwide, one in three
adolescent girls aged 15–19 years
are still cut today in 31 practising
countries with national data on
prevalence (see Figure 13). In
many of the countries where
FGM is performed, it is a deeply
entrenched social norm rooted
in gender inequality. Yet there
is evidence of change, with the
practice declining in both countries
where it was once universal
as well as those with smaller
practising communities.
Figure 13.
Percentage of adolescent girls aged 15–19 years who have undergone FGM
50
47
45
40
44
42
39
34
30
Percentage
20
10
0
25 years ago
20 years ago
15 years ago
10 years ago
5 years ago
Today
Source:
UNICEF global databases, 2020, based on DHS, MICS and other national surveys, 2004–2018.
Note:
This is a weighted average based on comparable data from 31 practising countries with nationally representative
data on the prevalence of FGM.
Among countries most affected
by FGM, opposition to the
practice is growing
Opposition to FGM can be
leveraged to promote elimination,
particularly through education,
communication and mobilization
platforms that help challenge
traditional mindsets and promote
behaviour change. And in countries
in which at least 50 per cent of
girls and women have undergone
FGM, opposition is growing. In the
last two decades, the proportion
of girls and women aged 15-49
years in high prevalence countries
who want the practice to stop has
doubled (see Figure 14). Moreover,
adolescent girls are more likely
than older women to oppose the
continuation of FGM - suggesting
that girls can lead the way towards
abandonment of the practice.
14
Figure 14.
Percentage of girls and women aged 15–49 years who have heard of FGM and think
the practice should stop, in high-prevalence countries
60
50
54
40
44
Percentage
30
27
20
10
0
Around 2000
Around 2007
Today
Source:
UNICEF global databases, 2020, based on DHS, MICS and other national surveys.
Note:
In high-prevalence countries, at least 50 per cent of girls and women have undergone FGM.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0022.png
22
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
In more than one third of countries with comparable data, at least one in four ever-partnered adolescent girls
have experienced recent intimate partner violence
Though both sexes can experience
intimate partner violence, women
and adolescent girls are at much
greater risk for numerous reasons.
Harmful gender norms that cast
women and girls as inferior to men
and boys are a major cause. These
norms justify violence as a means
of controlling female bodies and
choices, as a form of punishment,
or as a normal and acceptable way
to resolve conflict.
Among 62 countries with comparable
data on ever-partnered girls aged
15–19 years who have experienced
recent intimate partner violence,
prevalence rates range from two per
cent in Ukraine to more than 50 per
cent in Namibia and Equatorial Guinea
(see Figure 15). Regionally, around one
in five ever-partnered girls between the
ages of 15 and 19 in sub-Saharan Africa
and South Asia have experienced
intimate partner violence. However,
these data likely underestimate the
extent of intimate partner violence
experienced by adolescent girls since
girls often do not report due to shame
and fear of retribution.
Figure 15.
Percentage of ever-partnered girls aged 15–19 years who have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by a current or former
intimate partner during the last 12 months, 2010–2018*
60
56
52
50
41 40
40
38 38 37
36
35
32 32
Percentage
30
31 31 30 30
29
28 28 28 28 27 27
24 24
23 23 23 23
22 22
20
19
18 18 18 18
17 17
16 16
15 15
14 13
12 12
11 11 10
9 9
8 8
7 7
6 6
5 5
4
3 2
20
10
0
Equatorial Guinea
Namibia
Tonga
Gabon
Burundi
Timor-Leste
Liberia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Micronesia (Federated States of)
Central African Republic
Zimbabwe
Uganda
Sierra Leone
United Republic of Tanzania
Zambia
Afghanistan
Bangladesh
Malawi
Haiti
Sao Tome and Principe
Cameroon
Marshall Islands
Ethiopia
Angola
Kenya
Colombia
Ghana
Mali
Dominican Republic
Myanmar
Côte d'Ivoire
Senegal
Jordan
Turkey
Peru
India
Nepal
Egypt
Honduras
Viet Nam
Republic of Moldova
Chad
Lao People's Democratic Republic
Togo
Nicaragua
Azerbaijan
Philippines
Jamaica
Mozambique
Nigeria
Guatemala
Mongolia
Palau
El Salvador
Cambodia
Tajikistan
Cook Islands
Gambia
Burkina Faso
Comoros
Kyrgyzstan
Ukraine
Source:
UNICEF global databases, 2019, based on DHS, MICS and other national surveys.
Notes:
*Data refer to the most recent year available during the period specified in the chart title. Data for Côte d’Ivoire refer to currently married girls. Data for Bangladesh, Cook
Islands, El Salvador, Jamaica, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Mongolia, Nicaragua and Palau differ from the standard definition. Data for Equatorial Guinea and Namibia are
based on 25 to 49 unweighted cases and should be interpreted with caution. Data for Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Tonga refer to girls aged 15 to 24 years
and differ from the standard definition. Data for Mozambique refer to girls aged 18 to 19 years. Data for Turkey refer to girls aged 15 to 24 years. Data for Viet Nam refer to girls
aged 18 to 24 years and differ from the standard definition.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0023.png
Gender-based violence and harmful practices violate girls’ rights
23
If you give a girl the comprehensive sex education she deserves, by the time
she grows up, she’ll be able to make an informed decision about whom to
have sex with and when. And if someone tries to exploit her for sex, she’ll
be able to recognize that this is happening and demand her rights.”
Marelin, age 19, from the Dominican Republic
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0024.png
24
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Nearly 4 in 10 adolescent girls globally think wife-beating is justified
The social acceptability of intimate
partner violence is reflected in
attitudes about wife-beating.
Acceptance among adolescents
suggests that it can be difficult for
married girls who experience violence
to seek assistance, whether formally
or informally, and for unmarried girls
to identify and negotiate healthy and
equitable relationships.
More than 40 per cent of adolescent
girls aged 15–19 years in South Asia,
the Middle East and North Africa, and
sub-Saharan Africa think a husband
is justified in hitting or beating his
wife under certain circumstances.
Moreover, globally, adolescent girls
are as likely to justify wife-beating as
boys (see Figure 16). Such attitudes
may be influenced by deeply
embedded gender norms that ascribe
a lower social status to women and
girls than to men and boys.
Figure 16.
Percentage of adolescents aged 15–19 years old who consider a husband to be
justified in hitting or beating his wife for at least one of five specified reasons, by sex and region,
2012–2018*
World
38
37
44
36
44
Girls
Boys
Sub-Saharan
Africa
Middle East and
North Africa
South Asia
42
39
Eastern Europe
and Central Asia
0
5
11
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
50
Percentage
Source:
UNICEF global databases, 2019, based on DHS, MICS and other national surveys.
Notes:
*Data refer to the most recent year available during the period specified in the chart title. Reasons are if his wife:
burns the food, argues with him, goes out without telling him, neglects the children or refuses sexual relations. Regional
estimates represent data from countries covering at least 50 per cent of the regional population of *Data refer to the
most recent year available during the period specified in the chart title. Reasons are if his wife: burns the food, argues with
him, goes out without telling him, neglects the children or refuses sexual relations. aged 15–19 years. Data coverage was
insufficient to calculate regional averages for East Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, North America
and Western Europe and for boys for the Middle East and North Africa and Eastern Europe and Central Asia.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0025.png
Gender-based violence and harmful practices violate girls’ rights
25
Today, boys are still educated on the basis of very traditional values
with little respect given to the role of women in society. In school,
they are considered funny when they lift up girls’ skirts.”
Celia, age 23, from Spain
Most adolescent girls who have experienced forced sex never seek help
One in every 20 adolescent girls
aged 15–19 years, around thirteen
million, have experienced forced
sex, one of the most violent forms
of sexual abuse women and girls
can suffer, in their lifetime.
15
Yet,
very few of them seek professional
help, preferring to keep their abuse
secret.
Figure 17.
Among girls aged 15–19 years who ever experienced forced sex, the percentage who
sought help from professional sources, 2005–2018*
Percentage
0
10
20
30
In the majority of countries
with available data, fewer
than 10 per cent of adolescent
girls aged 15–19 years who
experienced forced sex sought
professional help (see Figure 17).
The reasons for this are varied,
but can include fear of retaliation,
guilt, shame, fear of being blamed,
lack of confidence in the abilities or
willingness of professionals to help,
lack of knowledge about available
support services and mistrust of
law enforcement.
Social norms can also affect a
survivor’s reluctance to come
forward or dictate to whom she
or he is expected to look to for
assistance. Formal support services
for survivors, including survivor-
centred health services, continue
to be lacking in many communities,
creating even more obstacles for
those who consider seeking help.
16
Maldives
Sierra Leone
Dominican Republic
Honduras
Zimbabwe
Angola
Burundi
Haiti
Benin
Guatemala
Togo
Rwanda
United Republic of Tanzania
Uganda
Malawi
Nepal
Mozambique
India
Gabon
Papua New Guinea
Nigeria
Comoros
Zambia
Philippines
Cameroon
Kenya
Gambia
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Mali
Afghanistan
Chad
Ethiopia
Ghana
Namibia
Peru
Senegal
Timor-Leste
23
15
11
11
9
9
9
7
6
6
6
5
5
5
4
4
4
3
3
3
2
2
2
2
1
1
1
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
Source:
UNICEF global databases, 2019, based on DHS and MICS.
Note:
*Data refer to the most recent year available during the period specified in the chart title. Professional sources of help
include doctor/medical personnel, police, lawyer/court and social service organization. Data for Chad, the Comoros, Ethiopia,
the Gambia, Kenya, Namibia, Nepal, Peru, Senegal and Timor-Leste are based on 25–49 unweighted cases and should be
interpreted with caution. Data for Afghanistan refer to ever-married girls aged 15–19 years who have ever experienced
forced sex committed by a husband. The figures in this chart may overestimate help-seeking from professional sources for
experiences of forced sex since they also include those who have ever experienced any physical violence and sought help.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0026.png
26
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Girls face heightened
health risks in adolescence
Today, more children and adolescents
are surviving than 25 years ago, but
too few are thriving. Early childhood
is a time to lay the foundations for
a healthy life. Good nutrition and
nurturing care are essential building
blocks of children’s physical and
cognitive development, allowing them
to survive, grow, learn and play.
Girls’ and boys’ nutritional needs are
largely the same in early childhood.
And, there are no observable
differences in the prevalence of
stunting, wasting or overweight by
sex among children under five.
17
But, girls are especially vulnerable to
malnutrition during adolescence – a
period characterized by rapid physical
growth, the onset of menstruation,
and harmful expectations to marry or
become mothers while still children.
Similarly, during early childhood,
girls are no more likely than boys to
manifest symptoms of depression,
but after puberty girls’ risks of
depressive disorders increase
substantially – and they are more
likely than boys to be diagnosed with
clinical depression in adolescence.
18
Among adolescent girls aged 15–19
years, suicide is the second leading
cause of death, only surpassed by
maternal conditions.
19
and benefit
from health services
to meet their specific needs.
Pregnancy, higher risks of HIV
and human papillomavirus (HPV)
infection, which are all preventable,
are some of the significant health
challenges girls face, with potentially
lifelong consequences to their health
and well-being.
In humanitarian emergencies, girls
are at heightened risk of unwanted
pregnancy, HIV infection, maternal
death and disability, as well as
gender-based violence, yet they are
often forgotten in the response.
20
With limited access to health
services, information or safe spaces,
girls’ vulnerabilities in crises increase.
Gender norms and
discrimination can heighten
health risks and rights violations,
impacting girls’ ability to access
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0027.png
Girls face heightened health risks in adolescence
27
Over the past 20 years, progress to reduce anaemia among adolescent girls has been slow
Adolescent girls have an increased
risk of iron deficiency anaemia
due to their growth spurts and
menstruation. Iron deficiency
and iron deficiency anaemia are
the leading causes of adolescent
disability-adjusted life years (DALY)
lost by girls aged 10–19 years.
21
Among women, iron-deficiency
anaemia is linked to the greater
likelihood of being poor, and lacking
power and access to resources.
22
Pregnant adolescents are particularly
vulnerable to anaemia because they
have dual iron requirements, for
their own growth and the growth
of the fetus. Having anaemia
during pregnancy is associated
with mortality and morbidity in the
mother and baby, including risk of
miscarriages, stillbirths, prematurity
and low birth weight.
23
Based on analysis of a subset of
12 countries with trend data on
the prevalence of anaemia among
adolescent girls aged 15–19 years,
progress to reduce anaemia among
adolescent girls has been slow.
In all 12 countries, adolescent girls’
anaemia was a severe public health
problem 20 years ago, and in a
majority of these countries, the crisis
remains today (see Figure 18).
Figure 18.
Percentage of adolescent girls aged 15–19 years with any anaemia, select countries, 2000–2017
Malawi (2004, 2015)
42
35
46
40
49
47
51
47
52
48
57
55
58
53
59
49
61
57
65
57
46
48
62
65
0
10
20
30
Cameroon (2004, 2011)
Prevalence
decreased to
below 40%
Tanzania (2004, 2015)
Guinea (2005, 2012)
Burkina Faso (2003, 2010)
Congo (2005, 2011)
Haiti (2000, 2016)
Prevalence
decreased
but still a
severe
public health
problem
Cambodia (2000, 2014)
Senegal (2005, 2017)
Benin (2001, 2017)
Ghana (2003, 2014)
Prevalence
worsened
Mali (2001, 2018)
40
50
60
Percentage
70
2000-2005
Source:
Demographic and Health Survey StatCompiler, 2019.
2010-2018
Note:
Any anaemia is classified as <12.0 g/dl for non-pregnant women and <11.0 g/dl for pregnant women; Anaemia is considered a severe public health problem when prevalence
is ≥40.0%.
24
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0028.png
28
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
In South Asia, where virtually no progress has been observed since 1995, one in five girls are moderately or
severely underweight
Being over or underweight
can have long-term negative
implications for children’s health.
For example, childhood obesity is
associated with a higher chance
of obesity, premature deaths
from non-communicable diseases
and disability in adulthood. For
adolescent girls, this can negatively
impact their self-esteem, confidence
and learning, but also their health
and that of their children, if they
become pregnant.
In the past two decades, the
proportion of girls aged 5–19 years
who are moderately or severely
underweight has remained the same
(see Figure 19). But, the proportion of
girls in this same age range who are
overweight has nearly doubled since
1995, from 9 per cent to 17 per cent
(see Figure 20). In absolute numbers,
this represents an increase of 81
million overweight girls, globally,
from 74 million to 155 million.
Among regions, East Asia and the
Pacific has experienced the largest
increase during this time, from under
15 million overweight girls aged 5–19
years to 38 million, followed by sub-
Saharan Africa where 6 million girls
aged 5–19 years were overweight in
1995 compared to 27 million in 2016.
While Europe and Central Asia saw
a smaller increase (from 15 million
to 18 million girls), nearly one in
four girls between the ages of 5
and 19 in the region are currently
overweight.
Long thought of as a condition of
the wealthy, overweight is now
increasingly a condition of the poor.
An increased access to ‘cheap
calories’ from fatty and sugary
foods, a shift in what children are
eating from traditional to modern
diets, as well as urbanization
and lack of physical activity
are contributing to this rise in
overweight.
25
Figure 19.
Percentage of children aged 5–19 years who are moderately or severely underweight, by sex and region, 1995 and 2016
40
30
20
10
9
6
3
6
5
2016
9
2
2016
2
7
3
2
1995
2
5
2
1995
2016
5
2016
0
1995
2
1995
Percentage
East
Asia and the Pacific
40
Europe
and Central Asia
Latin America and
the Caribbean
Latin
Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
33
30
28
20
21
20
16
10
14
12
10
1
0
1
1995
2016
8
5
1995
2016
1995
2016
2016
9
1995
2016
8
0
North America
South
Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
Girls
Boys
Global
Source:
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), based on Worldwide trends in body mass index, underweight, overweight and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of
2,416 population-based measurement studies in 128.9 million children, adolescents, and adults. The Lancet 2017 390 (10113): 2627–2642.
,
Note:
Moderate or severe underweight refers to percentage of children aged 5–19 years with BMI < −2 SD below the median according to the WHO child growth standards.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0029.png
Girls face heightened health risks in adolescence
29
Globally, the proportion of girls aged 5–19 years who are overweight has nearly doubled since 1995
Figure 20.
Percentage of children aged 5–19 years who are overweight, by sex and region, 1995 and 2016
50
40
30
27
18
18
16
28
20
31
31
20
24
18
18
10
14
7
0
1995
2016
1995
2016
1995
2016
1995
2016
Percentage
East Asia and the Pacific
50
Europe and Central Asia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
43
40
32
30
39
20
19
15
8
2
7
1995
2016
9
5
2
1995
17
10
7
8
2016
1995
2016
0
1995
2016
North America
South Asia
Girls
Sub-Saharan Africa
Boys
Global
Source:
NCD Risk Factor Collaboration (NCD-RisC), based on Worldwide trends in body mass index, underweight, overweight and obesity from 1975 to 2016: a pooled analysis of 2,416
population-based measurement studies in 128.9 million children, adolescents, and adults. The Lancet 2017 390 (10113): 2627–2642.
,
Note:
Overweight refers to the percentage of children aged 5–19 years with BMI > 1 SD above the median according to the WHO child growth standards.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0030.png
30
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
The adolescent birth rate has declined globally but remains high in sub-Saharan Africa
Pregnancy during adolescence
can have a number of negative
consequences for the health and
well-being of girls. Globally, maternal
conditions, such as haemorrhage,
sepsis and obstructed labour, are
the leading cause of mortality
among adolescent girls between
the ages of 15 and 19.
26
Unintended
adolescent pregnancies, especially
those outside of marriage, can also
bring upon stigma, social isolation,
school dropouts, forced marriage,
and in some cases, violence and
suicide.
Over the past 25 years, the
adolescent birth rate has declined
from 60 births per 1,000 girls
aged 15–19 years 9 to 44 births,
worldwide (see Figure 21). But
in East Asia and the Pacific,
adolescent childbearing has slightly
increased, from 21 to 25 births per
1,000 girls aged 15-19. South Asia
has made the most progress in
reducing early childbearing since
1995, with the adolescent birth rate
dropping from 82 to 26 births per
1,000 girls. Although sub-Saharan
Africa experienced a 22 per cent
decline in the adolescent birth rate
during this period, it continues to
have the highest rate of any region
globally, at 103 births per 1,000
adolescent girls. This means that for
every 100 adolescent girls aged 15–
19 years, 10 give birth. In countries
where early marriage or union is
prevalent, adolescent fertility rates
are often higher.
Girls’ secondary education is a
powerful deterrent to becoming
pregnant in adolescence. In all
sub-Saharan African countries with
available data, early childbearing
is higher among adolescent girls
with no education or only primary
education. In half of these countries,
the adolescent birth rate is more
than double among less educated
girls (see Figure 22). Comprehensive
sexuality education, as well as
access to adolescent-friendly health
information and facilities, including
confidential services on sexual and
reproductive health, free of shame
and stigma, also help reduce early
pregnancy.
In my opinion, now is the time
to complete our studies to
succeed in the future,
not to get pregnant early.”
Cristina, age 16,
from Timor-Leste, who
advocates to end child marriage
and teen pregnancy in her
community
Figure 21.
Adolescent birth rate, by region, 1995–2020
Number of annual births per 1,000 adolescent girls aged 15–19 years
140
132
Sub-Saharan Africa
120
103
100
Latin America and
the Caribbean
Global
Middle East
and North Africa
86
80
82
60
63
44
40
26
25
18
17
60
South Asia
East Asia
and the Pacific
North America
Europe and
Central Asia
48
40
47
29
21
20
0
1995–2000
2000–2005
2005–2010
2010–2015
2015–2020
Source:
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division,
World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0031.png
Girls face heightened health risks in adolescence
31
Early childbearing is more common among the least educated
Figure 22.
Adolescent birth rate, by level of education and country, sub-Saharan Africa, 2013–2018*
Number of annual births per 1,000 adolescent girls aged 15–19 years
250
227 225
212
202
200
196 193
191 188 186 185
184
184
172 170
163
148 147
150
140 139 139
134 130
123
100
104
90
108 106
84
70
61
51
56
60
56
60
68
48
62
83
123
115
113
100
89
100
113 115
101
117
50
62
41
69
45
35
22
24
Burundi
Rwanda
0
Democratic Republic
of the Congo
United Republic
of Tanzania
Madagascar
Chad
South Africa
Uganda
Kenya
Guinea
Namibia
Lesotho
Senegal
Malawi
Gambia
Angola
Ghana
Benin
Togo
Mozambique
Burkina Faso
Zimbabwe
Sierra Leone
No education or primary
Secondary or higher
Source:
UNICEF analysis based on Demographic and Health Survey Statcompiler data, 2019.
Note:
*Data refer to the most recent year available during the period specified in the chart title.
Ethiopia
Mali
Zambia
Nigeria
Liberia
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0032.png
32
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
What a boy can do, a girl can
do too, right? We have the same
rights and responsibilities.
I want to graduate and become
one of the best female football
players in the world!”
Martine, age 16, from Benin
Too few adolescent girls are receiving essential maternal health care
Receiving the appropriate number
of antenatal care visits and
delivering in health facilities is
essential for pregnant women and
girls.
27
Because most pregnant
adolescent girls are experiencing
their first pregnancy, their need
for careful monitoring and quality
care is acute. Yet, under one in two
pregnant adolescent girls in South
Asia receive at least four antenatal
care visits. In sub-Saharan Africa,
the region with the highest burden
of adolescent childbearing, only
one in two girls do (see Figure
23). Further, progress in the region
over the past 20 years to improve
adolescent girls’ access to antenatal
care has been slow and unsteady.
A critical strategy for improving
maternal and newborn survival is
ensuring that every baby is delivered
with the assistance of a skilled birth
attendant, which generally means a
medical doctor, nurse or midwife.
Yet, nearly one in four births
among adolescent mothers aged
15–19 years worldwide are not
attended by skilled health personnel,
putting the lives of these young
mothers and their newborns at risk.
This is more grave in some countries
such as South Sudan and Chad,
where almost three in four adolescent
mothers aged 15–19 years are not
attended by a skilled health attendant
(see Figure 24).
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0033.png
Girls face heightened health risks in adolescence
33
Figure 23.
Percentage of adolescent girls aged 15–19 years attended by any provider at least four times during pregnancy (ANC4), 2013–2018*
Source:
UNICEF’s SOWC
2019 - data analyzed by
International Center for
Equity in Health, Federal
University of Pelotas,
Brazil, based on DHS,
MICS and other national
surveys, 2019.
Note:
*Data refer to the
most recent year available
during the period specified
in the chart title. Regional
estimates represent data
from countries representing
at least 50 per cent of the
regional population. Data
coverage was insufficient to
calculate regional estimates
for East Asia and the
Pacific, Europe and Central
Asia, Middle East and North
Africa, Latin America and
the Caribbean and North
America. The boundaries
shown and the designations
used on this map do not
imply official endorsement
or acceptance by the United
Nations.
South Asia
49%
Global
56%
Sub-Saharan
Africa
50%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
Figure 24.
Percentage of births among adolescent mothers aged 15–19 years attended by skilled heath personnel (typically a doctor, nurse or
midwife), by country, 2013–2018*
Source:
Joint UNICEF/
WHO SBA database, based
on DHS, MICS and other
national surveys as well
as national administrative
data, 2019.
Note:
*Data refer to the
most recent year available
during the period specified
in the chart title.
Regional estimates
represent data from
countries representing at
least 50 per cent of the
regional population. Data
coverage was insufficient
to calculate regional
estimates for East Asia
and the Pacific, Europe and
Central Asia, Latin America
and the Caribbean, and
North America. The
boundaries shown and
the designations used
on this map do not imply
official endorsement or
acceptance by the United
Nations.
Middle East
and North Africa
88%
South Asia
78%
Global
76%
Sub-Saharan
Africa
61%
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0034.png
34
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
While adolescent girls’ access to family planning has increased over the past 25 years, many girls’ needs
remain unmet
For many adolescent girls,
pregnancies are neither planned
nor wanted. Girls face barriers
to accessing and using effective
contraceptives, including cost,
stigma, lack of access to accurate
and relevant information, fear of side
effects and limited decision-making
autonomy. However, adolescent girls
do make decisions about their health
when they have the support, tools
and resources to do so.
The proportion of adolescent girls
aged 15–19 years whose needs for
family planning were satisfied by
modern methods rose from 36 per
cent to 60 per cent between 1995
and 2020.
Yet, 4 in 10 adolescent girls aged
15–19 years who want to avoid
pregnancy are currently not
using a modern method
Wide variation is observed across
regions. South Asia, sub-Saharan
Africa and the Middle East and North
Africa have all observed steady
increases in adolescent girls’ demand
for family planning satisfied by modern
methods over the past 25 years. Still,
fewer than one in two adolescent
girls in these regions have their
demand satisfied compared to around
three in four girls in Latin America
and the Caribbean, and Europe and
Central Asia, and 88 per cent of girls
in North America (see Figure 25).
Figure 25.
Percentage of adolescent girls aged 15–19 years who have their need for family planning satisfied with modern methods, by region,
1995–2020
100
88
80
76
66
74
63
Source:
Aggregates
calculated by United Nations,
Department of Economic
and Social Affairs, Population
Division from survey
data compiled in World
Contraceptive Use 2019 (POP/
DB/CP/Rev2019).
Note:
Modern methods of
contraception include female
and male sterilization, the
intrauterine device (IUD),
the implant, injectables, oral
contraceptive pills, male and
female condoms, vaginal
barrier methods (including the
diaphragm, cervical cap and
spermicidal foam, jelly, cream
and sponge), lactational
amenorrhea method (LAM),
emergency contraception and
other modern methods not
reported separately (e.g., the
contraceptive patch or vaginal
ring).
60
58
48
44
60
46
46
43
Percentage
40
36
31
23
20
18
0
1995
2000
2005
2010
2015
2020
Global
East Asia and the Pacific
Europe and Central Asia
Latin America and the Caribbean
Middle East and North Africa
North America
South Asia
Sub-Saharan Africa
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0035.png
Girls face heightened health risks in adolescence
35
Globally, adolescent girls continue to bear the brunt of the HIV epidemic
Historically, in the first decade of
childhood, few gender disparities
in the HIV epidemic have been
observed. It is during adolescence
that disparities begin to emerge,
influenced by a wide range of
gender inequalities. These include
early and forced marriage, gender-
based violence, unequal access to
services and information, including
sexual health knowledge, and
a lack of negotiating power and
economic autonomy.
Globally, 970,000 adolescent girls
aged 10–19 years are living with
HIV today compared to 740,000 in
1995, a 31 per cent increase (see
Figure 26).
Figure 26.
Estimated number of adolescents aged 10–19 years living with HIV, by sex, 1995–2018
1,600,000
Girls
Boys
1,400,000
1,20,0000
1,000,000
800,000
600,000
400,000
200,000
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Source:
UNAIDS estimates, 2019.
Figure 27.
Estimated number of annual new HIV infections among adolescents aged 10–19 years,
by sex, 1995–2018
600,000
Girls
Boys
Worldwide, the number of
new HIV infections among
adolescent girls has halved
since 1995, but adolescent girls
still account for nearly three
in four new infections among
adolescents (see Figure 27).
Further, although the number
of HIV-related deaths among
adolescent girls has declined
globally since 2009, more than 300
adolescent girls continue to die
every week (see Figure 28).
In sub-Saharan Africa, where
four times as many adolescent
girls are newly infected with HIV
than adolescent boys, only 1 in
3 adolescent girls aged 15–19
years with multiple partners use
condoms; less than than a third
have comprehensive knowledge of
HIV. Even fewer (15 per cent) have
been tested for HIV in the past 12
months and received the results.
28
500,000
400,000
300,000
200,000
100,000
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Source:
UNAIDS estimates, 2019.
Figure 28.
Estimated number of annual AIDS-related deaths among adolescents aged 10-19
years, by sex, 1995–2018
40,000
Girls
35,000
Boys
30,000
25,000
20,000
15,000
10,000
5,000
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018
Source:
UNAIDS estimates, 2019.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0036.png
36
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Prioritizing actions with girls
Girls lives have been steadily
improving for the past 25 years since
the adoption of the Beijing Platform
for Action. Fewer are getting married
or becoming mothers, and more
are in school and literate – acquiring
key foundational skills for lifelong
success.
But, it is clear that gaps remain in
achieving the commitments set out
in the Beijing Platform. The world
has seen great improvement in
terms of girls’ access to primary
and secondary education, but girls
from the poorest households and
those who are on the move or live
in conflict and fragile settings have
not benefited from this progress.
Girls – especially adolescent and
marginalized girls – are far from
being free of all discrimination and far
from enjoying their full rights.
Violence, which should never occur,
is still experienced by too many
girls. No girl should be subject to
child marriage, FGM, sexual violence
or abuse in any place. Good health
and well-being are the foundation of
an empowered girl. When girls are
healthy they can support themselves,
resilient families and healthier
future generations. Yet, girls today
still face challenges receiving the
health services and information they
need to protect themselves against
sexually transmitted infections or
unintended pregnancies. And, too
few are getting the proper nutrition
they need to live long and healthy
lives.
While the Beijing Platform of Action
brought about improvements for
girls’ lives, the world has changed
significantly since 1995. The rapid
expansion of digital technology
and internet connectivity now
offer children and young people
unlimited opportunities for learning,
communicating and free expression
– which can be a game-changer for
helping them fulfil their potential.
However, girls are not benefiting
equally from this expansion, as
fewer have access to technology like
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0037.png
Prioritizing actions with girls
37
mobile phones; when they do have
access, resources and applications
are not designed with girls in mind.
As a result, girls are falling behind
on acquiring the digital and social
entrepreneurship skills needed to
compete in the labour force or start
their own business in the future.
Today, adolescent girls and young
women also are leading and
organizing global movements like
“Fridays for the Future” for tackling
climate change, and the “#MeToo
movement” against sexual violence
and harassment, to call action to
where action is needed and show the
power behind girls as changemakers.
Girls’ voices are rising. Now, the
global community needs to listen and
develop the solutions with girls at
the centre so all girls, including those
most marginalized, can move from
dreaming to achieving.
First, the global community must
look to girls.
Girls are rights holders, and
equal partners in the fight for
gender equality. They represent
a tremendous engine for
transformational change towards
gender equality. They deserve the
full support of the global community
to be empowered to successfully
transition to adulthood with their
rights intact, able to make their
own choices and with the social
and personal assets acquired to live
fulfilled lives.
This requires expanding opportunities
for girls to be the changemakers,
actively engaging their voices and
opinions in their communities
and political processes about any
decision that relates to their bodies,
education, careers and future. All
actions should place girls’ voices at
the centre – no decisions for girls,
without girls.
Second, more targeted
investment in adolescent girls,
as a unique group with interlinked
vulnerabilities, opportunities and
perspectives, is needed.
This includes scaling up investments
in girls’ programming models that
will accelerate progress aligned to
today’s reality, including in developing
adolescent girls’ education and skills
for the Fourth Industrial Revolution;
ending gender-based violence, child
marriage and FGM and ensuring
girls have accurate, timely and
respectful health information and
services. Synergies must be built
and partnerships expanded between
adolescent girls’ skills development
and women’s economic participation
to address persistent gender divides,
in areas such as STEM.
Finally, accountability for
commitments to girls cannot
be achieved without stronger
investment in data.
Increasing investments in the
production and intersectional
analysis of high quality, timely,
sex- and age-disaggregated data for
children and adolescents, including
adolescents aged 10–14 years,
particularly in areas where data
are limited -such as gender-based
violence, twenty-first century skills
acquisition, adolescent nutrition
and mental health – is needed to
drive evidence-informed policy
and programme decisions for
adolescent girls and to further
accountability.
Additionally, to ensure all girls live
fulfilled lives, data must make
marginalized girls visible. This
includes girls living with disabilities,
in rural areas or in the poorest
households, from ethnic minorities
and indigenous groups, in fragile
and conflict settings and those who
may be marginalized due to sexual
orientation or gender identity.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
38
A New Era for Girls I
Taking stock of 25 years of progress
Endnotes
1.
United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division,
World Population Prospects: The 2019 Revision.
Profiles, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2019.
2.
OECD,
SIGI 2019 Global Report: Transforming Challenges into Opportunities,
Social Institutions and Gender Index, Country
3.
OECD,
Aid to Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: An overview,
OECD DAC Network On Gender Equality, 2018.
4.
Wodon, Quentin T., et al., ‘Missed Opportunities: The high cost of not educating girls’,
The Cost of Not Educating Girls Series,
World Bank Group, Washington, D.C., 2018.
5.
Global Education Monitoring Report Team,
Global Education Monitoring Report: Gender Review,
UNESCO, Paris, 2018.
6.
OECD, PISA
2018 Results (Volume II): Where all students can succeed,
PISA, OECD Publishing, Paris, 2019.
7
.
Household chores may be considered hazardous, that is, potentially harmful to children’s physical, social, psychological or
educational development, when they are performed at least 21 hours per week. See: Dayıog lu, Meltem, ‘Impact of Unpaid
Household Services on the Measurement of Child Labour’,
MICS Methodological Papers,
no. 2, Statistics and Monitoring
Section, Division of Policy and Strategy, United Nations Children’s Fund, New York, 2013.
International Labour Organization, Geneva, 2019.
8.
Beghini, Valentina, Umberto Cattaneo and Emanuela Pozzan,
A Quantum Leap for Gender Equality: A better future of work for all,
9.
International Labour Organization estimates, 2019.
10.
UNODC,
Global Report on Trafficking in Persons,
United Nations, 2018.
11.
Guilmoto, Christophe Z., ‘The Sex Ratio Transition in Asia’,
Population and Development Review,
vol. 35, no. 3, 2009, pp. 519–549.
12.
United Nations Children’s Fund,
For Every Child, Every Right: The Convention on the Rights of the Child at a crossroads,
UNICEF
,
New York, 2019.
13.
UN Women,
Progress of the World’s Women 2019–2020: Families in a changing world,
UN Women, New York, 2019.
14.
United Nations Children’s Fund, Female Genital Mutilation: A New Generation Calls for Ending an Old Practice, UNICEF New
,
York, 2020.
15.
UNICEF global databases, 2019, based on DHS and MICS, 2005–2018.
16.
United Nations Children’s Fund,
A Familiar Face: Violence in the lives of children and adolescents,
UNICEF New York, 2017.
,
17
UNICEF/WHO/World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates Expanded Database: Stunting, March 2019, New York; UNICEF/
.
WHO/World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates Expanded Database: Wasting, March 2019, New York; UNICEF/WHO/ World
Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates Expanded Database: Overweight, March 2019, New York.
18.
Kapungu, Chisina, et al., ‘Gendered Influences on Adolescent Mental Health in Low-income and Middle-income Countries:
Recommendations from an Expert Convening’,
The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health,
vol. 2, no. 2, 1 February 2018, pp. 85-86.
19.
World Health Organization,
Global Health Estimates 2015: Deaths by cause, age, sex, by country and by region,
2000–2015,
WHO, Geneva, 2016.
20.
United Nations Population Fund,
Adolescent Girls in Disaster and Conflict: Interventions for Improving Access to Sexual and
Reproductive Health Services,
UNFPA, New York, 2016.
21.
United Nations Children’s Fund,
The State of the World’s Children 2019. Children, Food and Nutrition: Growing well in a changing
world,
UNICEF New York, 2019.
,
22.
Ibid.
23.
Ibid.
24.
World Health Organization,
Worldwide Prevalence of Anaemia 1993–2005: WHO global database on anaemia,
edited by Bruno de
Benoist et al., WHO, Geneva, 2008.
25.
UNICEF
The State of the World’s Children 2019.
,
26.
WHO,
Global Health Estimates 2015.
27
The World Health Organization recommends a minimum of eight antenatal visits to reduce perinatal mortality and improve
.
women’s and adolescent girls’ experience of care. However, global, regional and comparable country-reported data are only
available for the previous recommendation, which was a minimum of four visits.
28.
UNICEF global databases, 2019, based on nationally representative population-based surveys, including MICS, DHS and
AIS, 2012–2018.
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0039.png
Photography credits
Cover photo: © UNICEF/UN015766/Phelps
Page 4: © UNICEF/UN08402/Lynch
Page 6–7: © UNICEF/UN0317935/Frank Dejongh
Page 7: © Plan International
Page 8: © Plan International
Page 9: © Plan International
Page 10: © UNICEF/UN0340018/Frank Dejongh
Page 12: © UNICEF/UN0310000/Arcos
Page 14: © UNICEF/UN0145554/Schermbrucker
Page 15: © UNICEF/UN0225234/Brown
Page 16: © Plan International
Page 18: © UNICEF/UNI77836/Holt
Page 19: © UNICEF/UNI279549/Viet Hung
Page 20: © Plan International
Page 23: © Plan International
Page 23: © Plan International
Page 24: © UNICEF/UNI231917/Rudakubana
Page 25: © Plan International
Page 26: © UNICEF/UN0272546/Altaf Qadri
Page 27: © UNICEF/UNI172322/Bindra
Page 29: © UNICEF/UN0343180/Pazos
Page 30: © Plan International
Page 31: © UNICEF/UN0264209/Brembati
Page 32: © Plan International
Page 34: © UNICEF/UNI12226/Pirozzi
Page 36: © UNICEF/UN043144/Rich
Page 37: © UNICEF/UN061998/Vishwanathan
Page 39: © UNICEF/UN017600/Ueslei Marcelino
Page 40: © UNICEF/UN0187926/Helin
 URU, Alm.del - 2019-20 - Bilag 133: Rapporten "New Era for Girls - Progress Report 2020" fra UNICEF, UN Women og Plan International
2159796_0040.png
3 United Nations Plaza
New York, NY 10017 USA
www.data.unicef.org
220 E 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017 USA
www.unwomen.org
Duke’s Court, Block A Duke Street
Woking Surrey, GU215BH United Kingdom
www.plan-international.org