The adolescent girls took the floor to talk about their experiences and goals

Caracas, March 28, 2025. As part of the activities to commemorate Women's Month, UNICEF Venezuela, in partnership with Fundación Telefónica Movistar, organized the activity Voices in Action: Young women speak, a meeting starring adolescents, which aimed to listen to their concerns, expectations and opinions on some of the main issues that affect them.

The meeting, which was held at the Movistar Digital Mega Room, in Caracas, was attended by an audience made up of adolescents from the organizations Association Scouts de Venezuela, Tinta Violeta, Fundana, Luz y Vida, Funvape, Fe y Alegría, AVEC, the National Advisory Group of Children and Adolescents and Expresión Z, the Youth Advocacy network of UNICEF Venezuela.

The opening remarks were given by Cecilie Modvar, Chief of Child Protection of UNICEF Venezuela, who recalled that this year the commemoration of Women's History Month is framed by the celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, the global plan adopted by 189 governments in 1995, to achieve equal rights by and for all women, adolescents and girls.

"On this significant date, UNICEF wanted to focus on adolescent girls, to whom it has dedicated the Girls with Goals report, to call on their aspirations, their objectives, and needs to be heard," Modvar recalled.

"In 30 years, there have been many advances in terms of rights for adolescent girls, who have gained access to more opportunities in areas such as health, education, and protection, but some data in this report tell us about the urgency of continuing to act," she added.

For example, the report indicates that, according to global data, adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age are at greater risk than male adolescents of not finishing school, of not having employment or training opportunities and that one in four adolescents between 15 and 19 years of age has experienced violence by their partners.

Adolescent girls in the first person

The teenagers Isabel, 17 years old; Sophia, 16 years old; Jesdrianny, 18 years old; Antonella, 14, and Daniela, 15, members of the panel moderated by Ana Montesdeoca, Education Officer of UNICEF Venezuela, reflected on issues such as access to opportunities for young women, relationships, prevention of violence and menstrual health.

Regarding the obstacles that adolescents face in achieving their goals, the panelists emphasized the difference that having external support makes for each young person, since the lack of it can lead to a loss of confidence. "Believing that I am not enough, believing that I will not be able to achieve it, is what slows me down," Antonella reflected.

"It is very important for every human being to be the person who supports us, the one who motivates us to move forward, and the lack of that can be an obstacle," Daniela added.

On the prevention of violence in relationships, they stressed the importance of educating for self-care and building respectful relationships. "You always have to maintain this foundation of love and respect for yourself, which is important to recognize violence, because I know what the limits are, what things I don't tolerate, what things I need," Sophia said.

The topic of menstrual health also occupied the reflections of the participants. "It shocks me a lot that menstruation is still a taboo subject, to talk about it even among women, that knowledge is not given only in families, but in educational institutions," Isabel said.

"Menstrual health is about girls knowing that menstruating is okay," Jesdrianny added. "It is important that they go to the gynecologist from the first menstruation, that they have a check-up, because it is a change."

Finally, those attending the meeting were able to learn about the characteristics of the Laaha web platform, a virtual safe space promoted by UNICEF to provide information to women and girls on sexual and reproductive health, gender-based violence, and access to services necessary for their well-being.