The Story of Maya 

"My name is Maya. I was born 14 years ago in a poor peasant family. There were already many children, so when I was born no one was happy. When I was still very little, I learned to help my mother and elder sisters with the domestic chores. I swept floors, washed clothes, and carried water and firewood. Some of my friends played outside, but I could not join them. I was very happy when I was allowed to go to school. I made new friends there. I learned to read and write. But when I reached the fourth grade, my parents stopped my education. My father said there was no money to pay the fees. also, I was needed at home to help my mother and the others. If I were given the choice of being born again, I would prefer to be a boy."

A familiar picture

Such views may reflect the plight of girls in many developing countries, but the reality is that in virtually every area of life and in every country, girls and women routinely bear burdens and endure treatment that reflect their unequal status.

Everywhere in the world, girls face discrimination. They often receive less food than boys do, have less access to schooling, and in many countries, work long hours even when they are only 5 or 6 years old. Eighty million girls aged 6 to 11 do not even go to school, as indicated by the example of the mother given above. In societies where a male child is regarded as more valuable to the family, girls often are

By being married off early or forced to stay at home and help in domestic chores, girls are often denied the

War, extreme poverty and other deprivations further endanger girls’ lives as they may be raped and forced to work in extremely dangerous situations and environments as sex slaves, highly exploited domestic workers, or bonded workers in factories or on farms. All these make a strong case for the extra protection and support from the international community to ensure that girls’ rights are realized and protected.

What protection do girls have?

The Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), adopted in 1989 and by now ratified by most countries of the world, provides an agenda for action in identifying persisting forms of inequality and discrimination against girls, abolishing practices and traditions detrimental to the fulfilment of their rights and defining an effective strategy to promote and protect those rights. But implementation is paramount to ensuring positive change.

Other than the CRC, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), ratified by 163 countries, is the most extensive and widely-ratified international agreement promoting the rights of girls and women.

CEDAW, while drawing on existing international human rights treaties, is a separate and distinct convention addressing the rights of women. It clarifies the negative consequences of discrimination and seeks full equality between men and women regardless of marital status, in all fields of political, economic, social and cultural life. States that have ratified CEDAW must take concrete steps, such as enacting laws, establishing women’s rights commissions and creating conditions to ensure that the human rights of girls and women are realised. Their progress is monitored by the UN Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women.

How do these Conventions protect girls?

The two Conventions clearly demonstrate that the wellbeing and rights of girls and those of their mothers are inextricably related. If a girl is brought up in a nurturing environment and her rights to education, health, nutrition and protection are met, her life as a woman will be greatly improved. At the same time, a girl’s life and upbringing will be determined by how the mother is living and whether her rights are respected. If a mother, who was lucky enough to survive the birth of her children, has no education, labours long hours, is denied the right to own property and control resources, she will be condemned to a life of poverty making it difficult for her to provide a better life for her child. Thus the importance of beginning early to address the root factors of gender inequality. By intervening early when perceptions and attitudes are being formed, the cycle of gender discrimination can be broken before it has a chance to be internalised as the norm.

What are the core principles that define girls' rights?

The rights of girls apply equally to all children. Four main core principles as defined by the CRC are:

Refining these principles further, countries at the International Conference on Population and Development in Cairo in 1994 agreed to:

Making progress

By the end of 1999, nine African countries and seven industrialized countries had passed laws banning female genital mutilation. Many other countries had in place education and public awareness programmes. Since 1990, primary school enrolment in developing countries has increased by 50 million children, half of them girls.

The African Girls Education Initiative, an international campaign, assists 4,200 schools and literacy centres in more than 20 countries. In Yemen, the Government has declared education free for girls in rural areas and has trained some 2,000 women teachers.

In addition to the Population conference noted above, many international conferences have been held during which countries have reported on what they have done to combat the discriminatory practices against girls and women, establishing new declarations and objectives. Some of the conferences include:

Success stories from around the world

UNICEF is undertaking many successful programmes in developing countries to assure that girls enjoy their rights:

Other agencies also provide programmes protecting the child from violence and armed conflict