Investing in teenage

UNFPA urges the need to invest in improving the health and well-being of adolescents, making up more than 1.2 billion people

 ’In 2015, Member States committed themselves to promoting a more just, peaceful and prosperous world, and Plan 2030 will provide a world in which no one will lag behind and rely on youth engagement as agents of change and the involvement of girls. We must invest in this vision and begin to act now, because unfortunately gender inequality is one of the main obstacles to progress. Young women and girls are among the most affected by poverty, malnutrition, violence, denial of education and poor health. The vast majority of girls live in the developing world, and two out of five young people are either unemployed or underprivileged. High-quality education Girls work and gain decent work in all sectors, and can control their lives, control their bodies and make decisions, only if the world supports women’s emancipation and gender equality. »

Three weeks ago, Tanzania and Gambia made an important step towards protecting girls by criminalizing child marriage, and this year’s theme is ‘investing in teenage girls’. Personally, I live in constant awareness of both the plight and potential of girls around the world. For this reason, the Fund’s message is one that resonates with me and I implore all to respond by taking purposeful action. What does it mean to invest in teenage girls? Why girls? How?

The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) reports that 1.8 billion of the world’s population (7.3 billion) is between the ages of 10 and 24, and half of them are girls. Furthermore, approximately 33 percent of these girls are married before the age of 18 in developing countries. Girls who marry that early are more likely to drop out of school or worse in many cases, were never enrolled to begin with. For it’s numerous and lasting spill over effects, education is considered to have the highest return on investment, and I believe it is a major driver of empowerment. Studies have shown the benefits of education in society, but for girls especially. While the global unemployment and underemployment rates even among university graduates do not support the purported merits of an education, it is important to note that factors such as quality and adaptability of education, among others play a big role.