Why girls' rights matter for everyone

Women and girls make up half of the global population. That's a huge proportion of people to leave behind – which is what happens when we fail to ensure that women and girls have the same access to education, opportunities, freedom and justice as everyone else.

We may think that most countries already have achieved this level of equality for women and girls, and that it isn't something to worry about anymore. But this is untrue.

In Europe and Central Asia, women and girls continue to face barriers, discrimination and cultural beliefs – resulting in outcomes such as getting paid less for equal work, being less likely to have the opportunities to pursue a career in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields that are often higher earning and male dominated, and being more likely to be not in Education Employment or Training (NEET).

They are also exponentially more likely to be abused or killed by a partner or family member. Around the world, one woman or girl is intentionally killed every 10 minutes by a partner or a close relative, while almost one in three women have experienced physical or sexual violence before. Women and girls in Europe and Central Asia are not immune.

"In this region, violence against women and girls is widespread," says Sheeba Harma, Regional Gender Adviser for UNICEF in Europe and Central Asia. "This is devastating to families and societies." The impact can be long-term, affecting lifelong physical and mental health for both survivors and witnesses. This means such violence comes with a financial cost to health systems and to society, too.

While many women and girls in Europe continue to face sexual and physical violence, in Central Asia, "bride kidnappings, trafficking, early marriage and physical abuse are widespread," Sheeba adds – even as laws and policies have been passed to try to protect them. Much of this stems from stigma and cultural beliefs and attitudes. "There is a concerning level of acceptance and normalization of violence, quite often linked to patriarchal social norms," she says.

Violence is only one issue that women and girls face. They also lack equal access to education, skill building, training and job opportunities. The reasons frequently stem from cultural beliefs, such as girls and women being expected to be full-time caregivers to children or elderly family members, rather than professionals, or to take on the burden of housework, giving them less time to devote to schoolwork.

"In Europe and Central Asia, many countries are grappling with high rates of school dropout among adolescent girls," Sheeba says, something that "impedes their transition to employment" and can result in "very limited opportunities throughout their adult life". Dropping out of school is often a consequence of early marriage, the devaluation of girls, and the heavy burden of childcare and other care responsibilities borne by women and girls – biases that are particularly harsh for girls from the most vulnerable communities, such as Roma or refugee migrant girls. 

Meanwhile, across Europe and Central Asia, the severe lack of affordable, accessible and quality childcare facilities puts more of the burden of care on women – and often keeps them out of the workforce.

When women and girls are held back, everyone suffers

When women and girls are discriminated against, abused or left out of opportunities, they aren't the only ones who suffer – everyone does. That includes men and boys.

"Women and girls represent half of the world’s population and a whole lot of potential. Investing in women and girls reaps multiple benefits, it makes sense for economies, it makes sense for families and societies, and it makes sense for our future," Sheeba says.

Take what we know about women's economic participation. When women and girls have access to education, skill building, jobs and employment opportunities. families, communities and whole economies become wealthier. In fact, it has been estimated that closing the gender gap in terms of employment could add $7 trillion USD to the global economy.

Having women in leadership positions benefits everyone, too. Research has shown that when companies have at least three women in senior management roles, they out-perform their peers.

Despite years of research showing the widespread benefits of women and girls having equal access to opportunities, however, we are seeing "noticeable reluctance and regression," Sheeba says.

In particular, many countries are backsliding on their efforts and investments to prevent violence against women and girls, and to implement policies that can build a secure, resilient and sustainable future for women and girls and society at large.

This is why UNICEF continues to advocate for gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. Only when women and girls have the same rights, protections, opportunities and freedoms as everyone else to achieve their full potential, can we have a truly free, fair and progressive society for all.