IPU calls on parliaments to urgently step up efforts to protect girls from violence

A Kurdish refugee girl from Kobani, Syria, stands in front of her makeshift home in neighboring Turkey. Violence against girls in Iraq and Syria has put a spotlight on violence against girls in conflict. © Reuters/Osman Orsal

Efforts to protect girls from all types of violence need to be dramatically scaled up if one of the most vulnerable groups in society is to have a future free from abuse and bright with potential, says the Inter-Parliamentary Union.

The Organization is calling for parliaments and parliamentarians everywhere to urgently take the necessary legislative action to help end violence against girls as it marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November.

Girls in every country face some form of violence. In addition to sexual, emotional or physical abuse that women also face, many millions of girls are subjected to child marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and other harmful practices. 

UN figures on the global scale of the problem are alarming. One in three girls aged 15-19 has been a victim of violence committed by a husband or partner. Worldwide, nearly 50 per cent of all sexual assaults are against girls aged 15 or younger. 

Child marriage remains widespread. In most of the developing world, 34 per cent of girls are married by 18, with one in seven girls married before they are 15, according to UNFPA.

Although there is greater awareness of female genital mutilation, according to UN agencies, 3.3 million girls are at risk each year from this harmful practice.

The abduction of hundreds of schoolgirls in Nigeria this year and the rape, forced marriage, and sexual enslavement of girls in Iraq and Syria has put a spotlight on violence against girls in conflict.

The health consequences for victims are devastating. Child brides, for example, have twice the pregnancy death rate of women in their 20s, underscoring the need for specific responses in maternal and child health policies.

“While there has been a slow but growing trend to end violence against women, there is a real dearth of legislation that specifically tackles violence against girls. The world needs to wake up and remedy the situation urgently and comprehensively,” says IPU President Saber Chowdhury.

Although some countries such as Burkina Faso and Ethiopia have legislation against FGM, there are too many legislative gaps globally to counter violence against girls effectively.

IPU is calling for parliaments to repeal laws that fuel such violence and ensure perpetrators are brought to justice. This includes laws that enable a rapist to avoid sanctions by marrying the victim.

The Organization, which is working to strengthen parliamentary action on violence against women and girls, has begun mobilizing Asian MPs to pressure their governments to implement existing laws effectively. 

A joint event at UN Headquarters on 25 November with UN Women and World Future Council mapping legislative gaps on gender violence and identifying promising policies is the latest IPU step on the issue.

“Parliaments have the responsibility and power to protect the girl child. Solutions exist.  Whether it is by changing the minimum marriage age to 18, keeping girls in school to delay marriage, or making sure existing laws are implemented effectively, MPs can and must make a difference to the lives of hundreds of millions of girls,” President Chowdhury states.