Web resource:	https://www.state.gov/documents/organization/254904.pdf
Type:	Report
Title:	United States global strategy to empower adolescent girls
Authors:	United States. Department of State Millenium Challenge Corporation
Keywords:	Adolescents;Youth;Equality;Empowerment;Gender;Girls
Year:	2016
Publisher:	United States Department of State
Notes:	"In too many parts of the world, adolescence is the most precarious time for girls. A quarter of a billion girls live in poverty. One in three girls in the developing world is married by the time she is 18, and one in nine is married by the age of 15. Every year, millions of girls undergo female genital mutilation/cutting. Millions more live in conflict settings that increase the risks of gender-based violence. Many girls continue to be infected with HIV/AIDS, and too few girls have the education or skills they need to participate fully in the economies of their countries. While adolescence is a time of great vulnerability for girls, it is also an ideal point to leverage development and diplomacy efforts. It is an opportunity to disrupt poverty from becoming a permanent condition that is passed from one generation to the next. A pivotal question for an adolescent girl is whether she stays in school. If she drops out prematurely, she faces an increased risk of early marriage, early pregnancy, HIV infection, and maternal morbidities. She is also likely to be unskilled, have less earning power, and be less able to participate meaningfully in society. However, if she remains in school, she is more likely to marry later, have fewer and healthier children, and earn an income that she will invest into her family and community. To break the cycle of poverty, our efforts must reach girls before they arrive at this intersection of adolescence and follow them until they complete their education. This investment is not just an investment in girls, but in their families and communities. The goal of U.S. government efforts under this strategy is to ensure adolescent girls are educated, healthy, economically and socially empowered, and free from violence and discrimination, thereby promoting global development, security, and prosperity. Our efforts aim to enhance their access to quality education, to reduce their risks of child, early, and forced marriage (CEFM), to reduce their vulnerability to gender-based violence including harmful norms and practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C), and to provide them with the tools necessary to fully participate in their societies, claim their rights, and to control their own lives. This strategy sets forth the following objectives: = Enhance girls' access to quality education in safe environments = Provide economic opportunities and incentives for girls and their families = Empower girls with information, skills, services, and support = Mobilize and educate communities to change harmful norms and practices = Strengthen policy and legal frameworks and accountability President Obama has stated that addressing the challenges faced by adolescent girls and supporting them to fully participate in their communities and economies are critical to U.S. foreign policy. Excerpt from Executive Summary
URI:	https://anrows.intersearch.com.au/anrowsjspui/handle/1/20170
Appears in Collections:	Reports

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