Gender equality

Around the world, a staggering 119 million girls are out of school.  The barriers they face vary among countries and communities; child marriage, pregnancy, gender-based violence, schools may not meet the safety, hygiene or sanitation needs of girls, or families living in poverty tend to favour boys when investing in education. However, education for girls is about more than having access to school. It's also about girls feeling safe in classrooms and supported in the subjects and careers they choose to pursue – including those in which they are often under-represented, such as science and maths. 

We know that investing in girls' education transforms communities and countries. Girls who receive an education are less likely to marry young and more likely to lead healthy, productive lives. They earn higher incomes, participate in the decisions that most affect them, and build better futures for themselves and their families. 

Complications from pregnancy remain a leading cause of death and disability for teenage girls in the least developed countries. This is especially the case for the hundreds of millions of girls who have been subjected to female genital mutilation or for child brides, who often become pregnant when they are still children themselves. Teen girls are also more likely than anyone else to experience sexual violence. At the same time, 66 per cent of girls globally know nothing about menstruation until their first period. And sadly, among new HIV infections in adolescents, 3 in 4 occur in girls. 

Gender-based violence (GBV) is one of the most pervasive human rights violations in the world. It happens everywhere and affects all parts of society. GBV involves any harm or threat of harm to a person due to male-female power imbalances entrenched within a society. 

GBV can be physical, sexual, emotional and financial. It includes sexual violence, intimate partner violence, female genital mutilation, child marriage, sex trafficking and femicide. 

Although men and boys can also be victims of GBV, it's women and girls who face the greatest threat and are disproportionately affected. Nearly 1 in 4 teenage girls who have been married have experienced sexual or intimate partner violence in their lifetime. 

The world’s first open-source mobile phone period tracker and menstruation education app, co-created with and for girls in developing countries.​ Supported by the Australian Government, Oky aims to break down cultural barriers, stigma and taboos, empowering girls to make informed decisions about their health and upskilling their digital literacy.​  

Girls Empowered is a pilot program in Timor-Leste for girls and young women who have experienced or are at risk of experiencing gender-based violence (GBV). Through a series of workshops led by young women facilitators from the community, the program focuses on subjects like life skills, sexual and reproductive health, GBV prevention, career guidance and financial literacy, helping girls and young women to take charge of their lives and choose paths for their futures.​ 

In Sri Lanka, we're challenging gender norms and roles in a training package for health workers to promote caregivers' mental health and emotional wellbeing.​ Mothers, and especially teenage mothers, often eat last and least. Alongside addressing devastating malnutrition rates, the project promotes shared caregiving between parents to break down stereotypes of gender roles. It also supports female caregivers' emotional and psychosocial needs during the early years and focuses on mothers' nutrition through multiple micro-nutrient supplements for maternal health.