Discusses the importance of addressing the separate concerns of girls with respect to their human rights and to improving their status around the globe. Prepared for a special session of the United Nations’ General Assembly that addressed gender equality, this booklet is based on the Beijing Platform for Action, which identified particular strategic objectives related to girls. Topics covered include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child; the goals of the International Save the Children Alliance; key principles, including a child’s right to non-discrimination in health, education, and standard of living, protection of vulnerable groups, pursuit of the best interests of the child, the right to survival and childhood development, protection against exploitation, and the child’s right to participate in decisions affecting him or her; strategies for promoting the rights of girls through research, development projects, advocacy, and other practical measures; and the importance of systematic reporting on and monitoring of girls’ rights, legal review, and reform.
