Empowerment of adolescent girls in East Asia and the Pacific
Transforming futures and entire communities, with and for girls
Challenge
East Asia and the Pacific region is home to 137 million adolescent girls. Each and every one of them has the potential to shape her own future and contribute to her community.
Yet, many adolescent girls are held back by persistent barriers—harmful practices and gender-based violence, limited access to education and skills and restricted opportunities for leadership. Empowering adolescent girls means investing in education, skills development and safe spaces where they can raise their voices and take on leadership roles.
When adolescent girls are equipped with the right opportunities, they become powerful agents of change, driving progress for their families, societies and economies.
95 million girls and women in the region were married as children
Child marriage and adolescent pregnancy often go hand in hand. They can derail girls’ transition into adulthood and have negative impacts on their education, livelihoods and health. Girls married before age 18 are more likely to drop out of school, which can limit their employment prospects and opportunities, in turn trapping them in cycles of poverty and inequality. Adolescent girls face higher risks of childbirth complications – or even death – as their bodies may not be physically ready. Early pregnancy can also have social consequences for girls, including greater vulnerability to violence by partners and family members.
Female genital mutilation (FGM) is a grave violation of human rights, causing irreversible physical and psychological harm and perpetuating deep-rooted harmful norms. In Asia, at least 80 million girls and women have been subjected to FGM.
81 million girls and women in the region experienced sexual violence before age 18
Sexual violence against girls cuts across borders, cultures and income levels. Global estimates show that 1 in 5 women and girls were subjected to sexual violence as children, with even higher rates in Oceania, where 1 in 3 women report rape or sexual assault during childhood. Survivors often carry the trauma of sexual violence into adulthood, facing higher risks of sexually transmitted infections, substance abuse, social isolation and mental health challenges like anxiety and depression.
1 in 5 young women in East Asia and the Pacific are not in education, employment or training
Adolescent girls also face significant barriers in transitioning from education to decent work, limiting their economic independence and future opportunities. Gaps in skills training, digital literacy and employment persist, often driven by harmful stereotypes and limited access to resources. It’s these stereotypes - and not girls’ abilities - that block the career paths of future women scientists, technicians, engineers and mathematicians.
East Asia and the Pacific is facing a shrinking of civic space, limiting girls’ voices and leadership
Adolescent girls have the right to participate in decisions that shape their lives, yet they continue to be excluded from leadership and civic engagement. Discriminatory norms often discourage girls from speaking up, while shrinking civic spaces further restrict their participation. Without meaningful opportunities to lead, girls cannot influence the policies and programmes that impact their futures.
Solution
Adolescence is a period of heightened vulnerability. Prioritising the needs of adolescent girls and amplifying their voices can help ensure that they are safe, supported and empowered to shape their own futures.
Ending harmful practices and gender-based violence requires strong laws, girl-centred services and community-driven action. Schools, health systems and child protection services must work together to prevent violence, support survivors and ensure girls grow up free from fear.
Ensuring girls have equal access to learning and employment opportunities is key. Girls must have the skills and opportunities to transition into decent work. Investing in education, digital literacy and vocational training ensures they can compete in a rapidly changing workforce. Addressing the digital divide and breaking stereotypes in STEM and green jobs will unlock new pathways for girls’ economic empowerment.
For lasting change, girls must be supported to lead. Expanding safe spaces for participation, amplifying their voices and investing in leadership skills and opportunities will ensure they can influence the decisions that affect their lives. When girls are empowered, they drive progress not just for themselves, but for their families, communities and future generations.
What UNICEF does
To empower adolescent girls, UNICEF works across East Asia and the Pacific to prevent harmful practices, support girls’ transition to decent work and strengthen their leadership and agency.
Through the C-Surge programme, UNICEF shined a spotlight on child marriage and turned it into a policy and service priority in the region—driving legal reforms, improving education and health systems, and shifting social norms. The lessons learned from the C-Surge programme will be scaled up through the Towards Universal SRHR in the Indo-Pacific (TUSIP) programme, run in partnership with UNFPA and focusing on addressing child marriage in Cambodia, Lao PDR, and the Philippines, as well as female genital mutilation in Indonesia.
Compared to 30 years ago, child marriage in the region dropped from around 11 per cent to 8 per cent, and the adolescent birth rate also fell by around 36 per cent.
Reaching millions of adolescents in Lao PDR and the Philippines, UNICEF further generated critical evidence and positioned Southeast Asia in the global discourse on ending child marriage. Through strategic advocacy and regional engagement, UNICEF built evidence-based programming, ensuring that girls have the knowledge, services, and support they need to thrive while amplifying their voices to drive lasting change.
UNICEF places an intentional focus on girls’ education and skills development to break cycles of poverty and ensure their economic independence. Today, around 72 per cent of adolescent girls and young women have completed upper secondary education, a share much higher than 30 years ago. Through initiatives like Skills4Girls, UNICEF equips adolescent girls with digital, STEM and green skills, preparing them for the jobs of the future. By providing vocational training, mentorship and hands-on learning opportunities, UNICEF helps girls overcome barriers in education and employment, ensuring they can transition into decent work and reach their full potential.
UNICEF strengthens girls’ leadership and agency by creating opportunities for them to participate in decision-making and advocate for their rights. Through leadership training, mentorship and safe spaces, UNICEF empowers adolescent girls to challenge discriminatory norms, influence policies and drive change in their communities. By ensuring girls have a voice in matters that affect their lives, UNICEF helps build a generation of confident, capable leaders who can shape a more equal future.
Resources
- Beyond Marriage and Motherhood: Empowering girls by addressing adolescent pregnancies, child marriages and early unions
- Pathways to Adolescent Pregnancy: An in-depth analysis identifying the patterns of adolescent pregnancy in Cambodia, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Lao PDR
- Supporting STEM Career Transitions for Girls in ASEAN: Spotlight on Cambodia, Indonesia and Vietnam
- Cambodian Youth Advocate for Change to End Child Marriage
- Joint Recommendations on Green Skills with and for Girls and Young Women