Celebrating girls and young women

DR ASHA PEMBERTON

teenhealth.tt@gmail.com

Progress for adolescent girls has not kept pace with the realities they face today, and covid19 has reinforced many of these gaps. This year, under the theme, “My Voice, Our Equal Future,” there is an opportunity to pay special attention to the needs of girls and young women. In our country and regionally, adolescent girls continue to experience high rates of physical and sexual violence, under education and underemployment. Specific strategies are required to reverse longstanding biases that exist again females so that our women are able to maximise on the opportunities around them.

According to UN Women, “Worldwide, nearly one in four girls aged 15-19 years is neither employed nor in education or training, compared to one in ten boys of the same age. By 2021 around 435 million women and girls will be living on less than US$1.90 a day – including 47 million pushed into poverty as a result of covid19.” This quote from the United Nations highlights the global issues surrounding inequalities faced by girls and young women, which must be highlighted.

Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life, not only during these critical formative years, but also as they mature into women. If effectively supported during the adolescent years, girls have the potential to change the world – both as the empowered girls of today and as tomorrow’s workers, mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, home-makers, and leaders. An investment in realising the power of adolescent girls upholds their rights today and promises a more equitable and prosperous future.

Self-esteem

Adolescence is the stage of development through which young people develop and confirm their sense of self. For girls, pubertal changes are closely linked to their self-image and body positivity. Both of these in turn heavily influence their self-esteem. Parents and carers should pay specific and focused attention to supporting healthy self-esteem. Allow girls opportunity to try new things, grow and excel. It is through experiences of trial and success that young people learn to value themselves and what they have to offer.

Healthy body image

Adolescent girls, locally and worldwide are particularly sensitive to the changing ideals of beauty and fashion, to which they constantly compare themselves. When teen girls learn to dislike their bodies, not only are their self-esteem affected but they are at high risk for developing abnormal eating behaviours, eating disorders and other mental health concerns. Additional complications of these concerns include high-risk behaviours such as early sexual activity, when girls attempt to seek the acceptance and affection of usually older partners who victimise and take advantage of them. For these many reasons it is imperative that our girls are raised to love and value themselves and their bodies and not to base their self-worth on social media images or popular culture.

Support innovation

Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by stereotypes and exclusion. Around the world, women and especially now, teen girls are leading movements, advocating for change and are on the front lines of global shifts and changes. This empowerment results from conscious actions that teach girls that they do have voices which can be heard. It is never too early, or late to teach and support girls to be vocal about their beliefs and support them in developing leadership or advocacy skills.

Parenting with equality

Achieving gender equality remains a major goal of all international organisations for the coming decade. Only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals will we get to justice and economies that work for all, now and for future generations. However, equality begins through parenting and in the home. Especially in our culture, parents should be mindful of any differences in the ways that they raise boys and girls, particularly if these differences lead to girls believing that they have fewer rights or should expect less of themselves. While some of these notions are steeped in traditional culture, it is important that we acknowledge any gender bias within our families and seek support in reframing approaches towards the girls of this generation.