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July 2017

About Equality and UNICEF The Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Girls’ Empowerment works in more than 190 countries and territories to put children first. UNICEF The Situation for Women and Girls has helped save more Best friends Genet children’s lives than any Despite great strides in realizing the rights of and Misra smile after other humanitarian organi­ women and girls, more than 130 million girls getting back from collecting water, zation by providing health are out of school globally. Maternal mortality a task that can care and immunizations, reduction has been uneven; more than 800 sometimes take clean water and sanitation, hours in the nutrition, , women die every day from complications very hot sun. related to and . The emergency relief and more. UNICEF USA supports incidence of HIV/AIDS has increased for women UNICEF’s work through and adolescent girls. and gender- fundraising, advocacy and based violence are still pervasive in many education in the United countries; about one in three women aged States. Together, we are 20–24 were married before they turned 18. working toward the day when no children die from And every 10 minutes, somewhere in the world, preventable causes and an adolescent girl dies as a result of violence. every child has a safe and healthy childhood. These are not only violations of girls’ rights to For more information, health, education and protection, but they visit unicefusa.org. impede development progress. The fifth Global Goal for Sustainable Development is to achieve and empower all women and girls. Achieving this will require ending discrimination, violence and harmful practices

such as , and © UNICEF/UN09378/SEWUNET genital mutilation. It also means investing in women’s and girls’ health and vulnerable groups, especially girls, are protection, and ensuring equal participation of empowered so they can grow up to lead women and girls in political, economic and healthy, productive lives. public life. UNICEF’s gender work has four pillars: UNICEF Empowers Girls violence in emergencies; girls’ secondary UNICEF advocates for the protection of education; ending child marriage; and children’s rights, to help meet their basic promoting girls’ health. Each of these issues needs, and expand opportunities so they can cuts across UNICEF’s core programs of health, reach their full potential. Promoting the equal HIV and AIDS, WASH (water, sanitation and rights of women and girls and investing in their hygiene), nutrition, education, child protection full participation in political, social and and social inclusion. economic spheres are essential to achieving this mission. UNICEF’s equity approach UNICEF is a founding partner of the Global ensures that the most marginalized and Program to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage. Child marriage denies girls the right Knowing where the most vulnerable groups to a childhood, limits girls’ right to education, are and what is driving their exclusion shapes UNICEF perpetuates cycles of , and heightens UNICEF’s evidence-based policies and works with the risk for complications from pregnancy and programs. childbirth for and babies. The global governments program focuses on 12 priority countries in In emergency settings, UNICEF provides and South , Africa and the Middle East to reach violence prevention and support services 2.5 million girls by 2019 who are at risk of child to millions of girls and women. Whether in community marriage or already married. UNICEF is also protracted conflicts, or the aftermath of a actors in working at the national level in 48 additional natural disaster, UNICEF is on the ground countries to prevent child marriage through before, during and after an emergency to 157 countries advocacy, new legislation and enforcement reduce risks before a crisis hits, and respond of existing laws to establish the legal age of quickly to the needs of girls and women. to advocate marriage at 18. for girls, 2016 Gender Equality Snapshot Girls’ education is a powerful development In 2016, UNICEF: promote tool and creates a virtuous cycle. Educated gender girls are less likely to marry young and are ● Spent $39 million on girls’ education. more likely to become healthy women and equality mothers with healthy babies, escape poverty ● Reached 5.6 million girls with education and influence their communities to empower in emergencies. and realize their own girls. Great progress has been the rights made on girls’ education at the primary and ● Provided 1.3 million girls with WASH in secondary levels, but the most vulnerable schools. of girls and girls remain out of school. Twice as many girls women. as boys will never start school. UNICEF is ● Provided over 3 million women and girls working to increase enrollment for girls, with WASH facilities in emergencies. achieve gender parity in secondary education, and increase the number of women in ● Delivered menstrual hygiene supplies to educational leadership positions to ensure nearly 1 million girls and women in sustainable progress. Education programs are emergencies. closely linked with WASH programs to reduce the barriers adolescent girls face in attending ● Vaccinated 11 million women to protect school and managing menstrual hygiene, them and their babies from tetanus. by ensuring separate latrines. UNICEF also supports social protection programs, ● Helped over 70% of women living with HIV including cash transfers to help cover the to receive treatment for the prevention of cost of school fees, books, transportation -to-child transmission of HIV, and uniforms. including 34,000 women in emergency settings. Adolescent girls face a number of health challenges, including HIV and AIDS, anemia, ● Reached 4.6 million people with gender- and female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). based violence prevention and protection UNICEF continues to prioritize HIV/AIDS in emergencies. prevention for young people as part of its vision to achieve an AIDS-free generation ● Reached more than 1 million girls at risk by 2030 through investing in treatment and of marriage with health, education, cash support for people living with HIV and ensuring transfers and other services. that HIV-positive adolescents have access to antiretroviral treatment services, even in times ● Reached 1.7 million community members of crisis. UNICEF works directly with young with child marriage prevention messages. women to develop policies that benefit them — from reproductive health and HIV ● Worked in 25 countries to help stop female prevention to the prevention of gender-based genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C). violence. ● Provided cash transfers to women in more UNICEF is a leader when it comes to data and than 70 countries. ● evidence on the situation for girls and women.