100,000 girls are at war, reveals report

20,000,000 girls are out of school in war zones

15 May 2008: 1 in 5 countries have used girls as child soldiers, and 100,000 are currently fighting in conflicts around the world, reveals a new report by Plan.

Conflict can also force girls from their homes, leave them caring for younger siblings or at risk from rape, beatings and abduction.

These shocking revelations are included in Plan’s annual ‘Because I am a Girl’ report, which this year focuses on girls and conflict.

Plan is now calling on the United Nations to allow girls to bring complaints against their leaders if their lives have been damaged by war.

Urgent call

President of Liberia, and Africa’s first elected woman leader, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, said: “This report sheds an important and critical light on the often overlooked plight of girls in post-conflict countries that are rife with hostility which threatens their survival and potential.

“Urgent intervention is required to give girls a chance to lead normal lives that include obtaining an education and access to health care.”

Millions at risk

Figures in the report reveal:

• 38 countries have used girl soldiers in armed conflict in the last 2 decades
• 200,000,000 girls live in countries that are at risk of, in the midst of or emerging from armed conflict
• About 20,000,000 girls are out of school in war zones

Discrimination

Girls also fare badly after the fighting stops as discrimination makes it far more difficult for them to get back into school or find jobs.

The knock-on effect of this not only means a girl’s life chances are severely limited, but that the economic future of the country is also severely handicapped.

The report stresses the need for the protection of girls’ rights and their involvement in decision-making and post-conflict reconciliation.

Fighting for rights

Christiana, from northern Sierra Leone, was just 14 years old when she was captured and raped by rebels in 1998. Now she campaigns on behalf of rape victims.

"I think that fighting for the rights of girls is very important.

"It has helped young women like me who have been badly treated to develop pride in themselves," she said.

Take action

Please take action - find out more and sign the pledge on Plan UK's campaign site

Get involved via Plan Netherlands and Plan Switzerland

Sign the petition on Plan Canada's campaign site

Read the full report:

Because I am a Girl: The state of the world's girls 2008
(5mb | 185 pages)