UNICEF Adolescent Girls Need Recognition As Distinct Group

This article was last updated on April 16, 2022

Canada: Free $30 Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Free $30 Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…

The United Nation Children Fund (UNICEF) said adolescent girls need to be recognized as a distinct group where services and programmes are targeted to the age-specific needs of girls from 10 to 19 years of age.

 
By Jok P Mayom

UNICEF said Adolescent girls globally are among the most marginalized and neglected groups,   many are subjected to child marriage, unwanted pregnancies, sexually transmitted diseases and gender-based violence, all of which have lifelong consequences.

“Investing in the health and education of adolescent girls is one of the best investments in the future for everyone,” said UNICEF’s Representative in South Sudan, Mr. Jonathan Veitch.

“With age-specific investments, interventions, policies and programmes, adolescent girls can be empowered to forge a new future for themselves and the world.”

“These efforts must include investment in education, skills training and access to information technology, menstrual hygiene management, HIV education and reproductive health services are essential. Programmes and investments must also combat attitudes and behaviours – child marriage, early pregnancies and sexual violence – that endanger girls and impede their empowerment and progress.”

The UN Agency said during times of conflict and disaster, adolescent girls are among the most vulnerable and at risk of exploitation, abuse, rape and other forms of violence.

“An educated girl is less likely to get married early, is more likely to have her own children educated and kept healthy, and she is better equipped to break what is often a vicious cycle of poverty” said Veitch. 

Hon. Bol Makueng Yol, South Sudan Deputy Minister of Education Science and Technology on his part said, “The Girls’ Education strategy that was recently launched is already our roadmap to empower our girls to make sure they come out of the troubles they are facing”

“The roadmap will ensure that we increase enrolment, retention and completion among our girls and to equip young girls who are out of school with the necessary life skills,” Bol added.

During the commemoration of the fourth anniversary of the International Day of the Girl, on Monday under the global theme ‘The Power of the Adolescent Girl: Vision for 2030’ United Nation agencies, governments and other stakeholders vow to redouble efforts to empower adolescent girls as part of the Sustainable Development Goals.

UNICEF said, though many gender disparities have decreased for young girls and adult women over the years, gaps continue to widen for adolescent girls.

“Millions of adolescent girls are excluded from quality education, access to media and information technology and without information about puberty and reproductive health."

According to the Education Management Information System (EMIS) 2013, “Only seven per cent of girls in the country currently complete the eight-year primary school cycle while only 1.6 per cent of over 420,000 girls between the ages of 14-17 years, who complete primary school, enrol in secondary school.

The statistics tell part of the story. An adolescent girl in South Sudan is three times more likely to die in childbirth than complete primary school. 

UNICEF said, interventions must address the disadvantages adolescent girls face including harmful practices by families, communities and policymakers that perpetuate gender discrimination by assigning adolescent girls to sexual, domestic and care giving roles. 

The Government of South Sudan with support from UN agencies and other partners are continuously trying to empower adolescent girls by developing policies and by providing cash transfers to girls to offset the cost of education and capitation grants to schools that can increase enrolment, retention and completion for girls in order to reduce the gender disparity.

Share with friends
You can publish this article on your website as long as you provide a link back to this page.

Be the first to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.


*