On the eve of March 8 (International Women's Day), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) stated that currently, 50 million girls worldwide are victims of sexual violence.

According to a recent report by this UN agency and Plan International, titled "Girls' Goals: What Has Changed for Girls in the Past 30 Years?", one in four adolescent girls who have been married or in a relationship has experienced violence from their partner.

 UNICEF stated that despite significant achievements in areas such as education over the last three decades, millions of adolescent girls across the world today are still out of school, ill-equipped for the future, facing gaps in life-saving health services, and at risk of harmful practices such as child marriage, female genital mutilation, violence and abuse. 

More than a third of adolescent girls and boys aged 15-19 globally consider a husband to be justified in hitting his wife under certain circumstances.

The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) has stated that 9 out of 10 adolescent girls and young women in low-income countries do not have access to the internet, while their male peers are twice as likely to be online.   

According to the report, the most progress has been made in South Asia while Latin America and the Caribbean has observed no progress over the last 25 years.

The UNICEF Executive Director stated in the report that adolescent girls are a powerful force for global change.

“Adolescent girls are a powerful force for global change. With the right support at the right time, they can help deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals and reshape our world,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “Investments in critical areas such as education, skills, protection and essential health and nutrition services can unlock the potential of adolescent girls across the world and lift-up communities and countries." 

The report states that the child marriage rate has declined, but still, 1 in 5 girls globally marries before the age of 18.

UNICEF stated in the report that the number of out-of-school girls has decreased by 39% over the past 20 years, but 122 million girls worldwide still lack access to education.

According to the organization, adolescent girls aged 15 to 19 in South Asia are three times more likely than boys of the same age to be out of school, work, or educational programs.