The future is female – and it is being led by adolescent girls.

The potential of the 600 million adolescent girls in the world represents infinite possibilities for us all. Enabling girls to exercise their rights and to access opportunities today will propel societies towards a better tomorrow. 

With that in mind, the theme for the International Day of the Girl Child this year is: “Girls’ vision for the future.” 

Young women are increasingly claiming their right to participate across economic, social and political spaces. Investing in the health, well-being and capabilities of adolescent girls benefits not only the girls themselves, but also their families and the next generation.

Yet the cascading benefits of investing in girls remain largely unrealized, with millions of girls facing discrimination, exclusion and oppression. 

Violence and other violations of rights threaten girls’ empowerment. Adolescent girls disproportionately face threats of intimate partner violence, early pregnancy and harmful practices, contributing to poor mental and physical health, including sexual and reproductive health. 

The numbers speak volumes: Nearly a quarter of adolescent girls will have experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner by the time they are 20 years old. Approximately 12 million girls aged 15 to 19 give birth every year in developing regions of the world. And adolescent girls are a growing target group subjected to technology-facilitated gender-based violence amid their increasing use of technologies and digital spaces.

We must work to safeguard and uphold the rights of adolescent girls, especially those at risk of being left behind – such as those living through chronic poverty and protracted conflicts.

Every adolescent girl has the right to exert agency over her body and future. Let’s build a more just and equal world in which girls are safe to grow, and their rights and choices are recognized and respected.

Realizing this vision requires strategic investment in policies and initiatives focused on building skills and confidence for adolescent girls, in addition to fostering equality and expanding access to sexual and reproductive health services and information.

“A girl’s life should begin the way every life should: as an open book in which she writes her own story,” UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem has said. “Yet from the moment a girl takes her first breath, she is already at a disadvantage simply because she was born a girl.” It’s time to heed the call of youth voices advocating for rights, equity and inclusion.