In this white paper, Soroptimist International of the Americas, working to improve the lives of women and girls in local communities and throughout the world, examines the issues of concern for today’s girls, both in developed and developing countries. While all children are vulnerable for a variety of reasons and deserve basic human rights, girls start at birth with a unique disadvantage—gender inequality. The global consequences of this inequality are at the root of many obstacles for girls, including poverty, disease, violence, and lack of access to education. As a result, girls experience these violations to their human rights throughout their childhood and into adulthood. This white paper considers three basic areas in which girls face systemic gender inequalities: education, health and violence. The white paper concludes with a section on the rights of girls and how to successfully advocate for those rights; for to truly eliminate all forms of discrimination and violence against girls, action is required on all levels of government and civil society.

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