Thirty years ago, the world took a significant step forward on girls' rights. With the Beijing Declaration, no fewer than 189 countries committed to working towards gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.
In 2015, as part of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the issue of gender equality was once again emphasised as the fifth of the 17 objectives. The world committed to ban sexual violence, prevent child marriages and end genital mutilation.
Last week, policymakers were gathering in New York for CSW69, the meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women. Apart from the fact that that is a very belittling name for such an important commission – really, the ‘status of women’?! – the question on the table was very important: thirty years after the Beijing Declaration and ten years after the formulation of the SDGs, where do we actually stand with regard to the intended gender equality?
Well, earlier this year, we got a glimpse in the Gender Equality Index 2024. In this report by the European Institute for Gender Equality, it states for example that 17% of respondents believe that women often exaggerate claims of sexual abuse or rape, that 27% of men (and 15% of women) consider sexual harassment at work to be normal, and that 21% believe that women who express their opinion online should just accept that they will receive elicit sexist, demeaning and/or abusive replies in response.
This tallies with the experiences we at Plan International have: yes, progress has been made, but at the same time a number of alarms should be sounding – five, to be precise.
1. Worldwide, 122 million girls do not attend school. They are held back by social norms, have to fulfil domestic duties or marry early. Girls who do attend school face obstacles in the form of stereotypes and practical issues such as inadequate sanitation.
2. For girls and women, intimidation and violence are still too often part of everyday life. Sixty million girls worldwide are assaulted at school. More than a third of young people (15-19) consider it justified that a husband beats his wife under certain circumstances.
3. (Sexual) health. What is the leading cause of death among adolescent girls? Apparently, complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Girls have insufficient access to information about sexuality, contraception and health to make informed decisions. Moreover, there are more and more people worldwide who simply wish to deny them the right to decide about their own bodies.
4. Girls face specific challenges during humanitarian and other crises. The climate crisis, for example, makes it more difficult for girls in the Sahel to continue going to school, increases their risk of (sexual) violence and makes them more likely to be forced into child marriage. Yet policymakers and aid workers often fail to recognise their specific needs.
5. The voice of children and young people, especially girls, is not being heard enough. Research by Plan International shows that 61% of girls and young women involved in activism experience negative consequences as a result of their commitment.
A world in which every girl is free to be herself and grow into an independent woman is a better world for everyone.
The participants at CSW69 will probably have a much more nuanced assessment than is possible here in this article. But in all this nuance, we must not lose sight of the fact that gender equality – which is nothing more than equal rights for every individual – is under attack. Which governments would enthusiastically sign the Beijing Declaration today? Who would wholeheartedly endorse the SDGs?
Unfortunately, it seems as if, after years of progress, we are now backtracking. Yes, our federal government explicitly included ‘equal rights and opportunities for women and girls’ in the ‘Development Cooperation’ chapter of the coalition agreement, but we expect more.
Listen to girls and young women, recognise their specific needs and concerns, tackle the detrimental manosphere and reject toxic macho ideas. A world in which every girl is free to be herself and grow into an independent woman is a better world for everyone.