Girls Matter - in the UK and Worldwide!

Earlier this month, Girlguiding launched an exciting new campaign in the run up to the General Election in 2015. 'Girls Matter' sets out eight key asks drawn from the research and consultation work that Girlguiding does with girls and young women. One of these is about ensuring girls' rights are a priority in the UK's approach to international development. I am delighted by this campaign, and all of the issues which it aims to highlight, but as part of the blogger network I will use this post to set out:

Why Should We Make Girls’ Rights a Priority in the UK’s Approach to International Development?

Girls around the world face the double disadvantage of being young and being female. A girl is less likely to receive an education and more likely to be subject to violence than her male peers. Girls are denied their rights all over the world.

The World We Want For Girls

That is why I am one of 18 ambassadors, chosen by the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts, to ensure that the future goals for improving our world aim to create ‘The World We Want For Girls’. Back in the year 2000, countries signed up to a series of targets called the Millennium Development Goals. These goals, known as the MDGs, set out how world leaders wanted the world to look by the year 2015. Since that time governments and other organisations (including Guides and Scouts) have been working to:

• Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Achieve universal primary education
• Achieve gender equality and empower women
• Reduce child mortality
• Improve maternal health
• Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases
• Ensure environmental sustainability
• Build partnerships for development

A lot has been achieved in the last 14 years. 17,000 fewer children now die each day. 90% of children are now enrolled in primary school. The amount of people living in extreme poverty was halved by 2010. But there are dramatic differences between continents, between countries and between regions within those nations.

Many so-called ‘developed’ countries saw these goals as something to fund, rather than something to achieve. Did you know the UK hasn’t achieved one of the targets for achieving gender equality? The aim is to achieve gender equality in representation in Parliament – as other blog posts will testify we are a far cry from this in the UK. You will be surprised at the first nation to achieve this goal – it was Rwanda. We need to embed gender equality in our political system to truly prioritise girls’ rights everywhere.

Focusing on Girls’ Rights

Many of the issues facing girls around the world are interconnected and the current situation for many is shaped by the issues that weren’t considered in the Millennium Development Goals. Violence is a key factor – both the hostile conditions that impact of healthcare and education that exist in warzones, and the multitude of other forms of violence that infiltrate the lives of girls everywhere. From early marriage to domestic violence, from female genital mutilation to sexual violence. 1 in 3 women worldwide will be the victim of violence during their lifetime.

This is why our team of 18 ambassadors from the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts are calling on those involved in setting the next set of international goals to really consider the rights of girls. Their right to an education, their right to health, their right to live free from the threat of violence and their right to live long and fulfilling lives.

Get Involved

You can help to ensure that the issues that matter most to girls and young women are reflected in our next set of international goals. Visit the MyWorld Survey (http://vote.myworld2015.org/?partner=WAGGGS) and think about the issues facing girls all over the world as you place your vote. Then share the survey with girls and young women* that you know and work with so that they can cast their vote for their own future.

*Ballot papers are available to take voting offline and into the community.