Give girls in conflict-torn countries a chance, Plan tells UN

During, before and after conflicts girls' rights are constantly violated

29 February 2008: Plan has told UN members that girls' rights are being continually violated in countries involved in armed conflicts - restricting them to a cycle of insecurity for decades to come.

Sarah Hendriks, Plan Canada Advisor - Gender Equality & HIV and AIDS, addressed the 52nd session of the Commission on the Status of Women, telling them that girls and young women face specific risks before, during and after conflict.

Ignored and marginalised, girls find that the impact of conflict is far reaching - going beyond their experiences as either child soldiers or victims of violence and affecting their health, education, gender roles and relationships.

When girls are ignored or marginalised in these areas, they become entrenched in a cycle of poverty and hardship.

Call for action

Plan urged the UN members to:

• Empower girls and provide opportunities for girls' participation in decisions made at all levels

Girls and young women have extraordinary resilience even in the most difficult circumstances. The international community must initiate and support programmes to build the skills and capacity for female participation in making decisions, particularly during post-conflict reconstruction and peace-building.

• Use the opportunity of post-conflict renewal to overhaul legal structures and introduce legislation that promotes the rights of girls and young women

Legal systems can reinforce gender discrimination. Existing laws that protect young women and promote their rights must be enforced. Policies that tackle the stigma that girls, in particular, face once violent conflict has subsided are needed.

• Consider innovative funding mechanisms in order to support education in conflict, post-conflict and in fragile states

Renewed global effort is needed to improve girls' access to quality education in safe school environments, both in times of insecurity and conflict.

• Implement a complaint mechanism for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC)

The UN CRC is the only international human rights treaty without a complaints mechanism. Girls whose rights have been violated during conflict must be made aware that they can seek justice.

Read Plan’s Because I am a Girl: the state of the world's girls 2007 report