Then and now
Generations of change for adolescent girls
Thirty years ago, the world made a promise to protect the rights of adolescent girls. As Governments from 189 countries united to sign the landmark Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the most comprehensive policy agenda for gender equality came to be.
But three decades later, what's changed for 15-year-old girls? Young women the world over reflect on progress made – and lost – alongside women of earlier generations.
Nadiya, 15, with her mother and grandmother in Ukraine
Three women flip through photographs – from monochrome to colour to digital – comparing their hopes for the future.
"We didn't face the kinds of challenges kids do today," says Olena, mother to 15-year-old Nadiya. "At fifteen, life was carefree, full of energy, bright. We spent more time talking face to face."
"Everyone's fifteen is wonderful in its own way," adds Tetiana, Nadiya's grandmother. "I grew up and finished school without electricity – we simply didn't have it. But teenagers of my granddaughter’s generation are very open to the world."
“My generation grew up with the internet,” says Nadiya. "Since childhood, we saw perfect women, flawless images. But over time you realize that kind of perfection doesn't exist. You just have to be yourself. The main thing is to know you matter."
Laala, 15, with her mother in Afghanistan
“I was very good at school,” says Laala.* “I could have been in my first semester at university. Now, I’m stuck at home all day with no joy. My time is consumed by household chores.”
Laala was in Grade 8 when the Taliban banned girls from continuing school.
“It’s not just that I can’t go to school – I can’t even meet my friends to talk or have fun. There’s no room for laughter.”
Laala’s mother, Gulchehra,* is watching history repeat. “I was just ten years old when the Taliban first came to Afghanistan in 1996 and shut down our schools. By the time I was fourteen, my parents arranged my marriage. Life became dark for me after that.”
“I fear that Laala will face the same darkness that I did," Gulchehra continues. "I fear she will never go back to school, that she will be forced into marriage at a young age. It feels like we can never escape the cycle of suffering.
“Before the Taliban took over, life was different for girls like Laala. At fifteen, she could have attended courses in English or computers. She could have gone to the park, the gym – even travelled. She had the freedom to dream and explore. These are freedoms I never had at fifteen, and now these freedoms have been taken from her too.”
Laala holds fast to memories of freedom. “I dream of a day when I can return to school, meet my friends again, and have a future filled with opportunities.”
*Names changed for protection
Jovensha, 14, with her mother in Papua New Guinea
"When I was fifteen, the biggest challenge I faced was education," Jovensha's mother, Barbie, shares. "My parents practiced favouritism. They wanted their sons to go to school first. I obeyed and stayed home.
"But now I see that times have slowly changed. People are realizing girls have potential too."
Barbie made a promise that her own daughter would never be denied the rights she was. Today, Jovensha goes to school alongside her brothers.
"When I finish school, I want to work in a male-dominated field," she says. "I want to work as an engineer in a gold mine. That’s my hope and dream for the future.”
Marina, 15, with her mother in Moldova
"When I was fifteen, the biggest challenge I faced was the pressure to live up to others' expectations and the lack of freedom in my choices," says Raisa. For her daughter Marina, that pressure remains.
"Girls now have more opportunities," says Marina, "but they still face prejudices."
Growing up with special educational needs, Marina describes a better world for girls as one where they can act without fear of judgment.
"Social pressure and beauty standards are some of the biggest challenges facing girls today. But I try to focus on what makes me happy, rather than on others."
Cecilia, 15, with her mother and grandmother in Guatemala
"I wish there was a secondary school in my community," says Cecilia. "The only school we have goes up to sixth grade, so I had to stop studying. Thinking about it makes me sad, but I’ve come to accept that I won’t continue my education. Now, I sometimes work as a domestic worker and sew items to sell.
"I dream of becoming an artisan. My grandmother is teaching me how to weave traditional huipiles, and I would like to specialize in that."
Cecilia's mother, Juana Brito, wants more for her daughter.
"When I was fifteen, I faced the same challenges," she says. "I got married at a very young age. And while my daughter has come to terms with not continuing her education, I am still fighting to change her mind so she can have a better future."
"We are strong women in our family," adds Cecilia's grandmother, Juana Corio. "Strength is essential for us. Women must learn the skills needed to care for the home, nurture children and family, and sometimes work as well. We need resilience to handle it all."
Soraya, 15, with her mother in Madagascar
"At fifteen, I didn't go to school. I was working as a seller," says Louisette, Soraya's mother.
"In the past, few girls went to school," Soraya joins in. "But now, many of us are motivated to continue our studies."
Her mother continues. "What Soraya and I have in common today is that, after studying, she either joins me at the market or takes care of household chores like cooking, fetching water and cleaning. I spend less time on chores and focus more on earning money for our needs."
"My main goal is to succeed in my studies so I can go abroad," Soraya says with a smile. "When I grow up, I want to become a nurse, a doctor or an accountant."
Maria Estrela, 15, with her mother in Brazil
"What’s missing for girls today are people who can represent them in the most important places," says Maria Estrela. "In politics and in schools."
To get there, Maria Estrela knows, girls need equal access to opportunities that matter, like education. “But there are still many children out of school. Sometimes there are not enough teachers, and sometimes the quality of education is lacking."
Maria Estrela is in secondary school now, studying to be a doctor. Her mother, Elivânia, had no such opportunity.
Elivânia recalls her own childhood. “My mother had to pay for my bus fare and my sister's, so we had to decide who would go to school on which days."
Today, Elivânia holds two degrees, is pursuing her master's, and is already thinking about a doctorate. “Opportunities have expanded," she says, "but they haven’t reached everyone yet."
Her daughter agrees.
"One of my greatest hopes for the future is that we all have opportunities to reach these places," she says. “First, we need to learn to respect other’s beliefs, way of being and thinking."
