On the eve of International Women's Day, a new report by UNICEF, Plan International and UN Women highlights progress as well as remaining gaps on adolescent girls' rights and living conditions. Developments in education, health and protection are analyzed in the report entitled "Goals for Girls: What has changed for girls? Adolescent girls' rights over 30 years", IPN reports.

The study shows that the number of out-of-school girls has declined by 39% in two decades and constitutes 122 million girls globally. Of these, almost 50 million cannot read or write a simple sentence and one in five girls marry in childhood. Violence, including sexual violence, is a painful reality for many adolescent girls, with 50 million victims of sexual abuse.

Moreover, despite progress, nearly 12 million teenage girls will become mothers by 2025 and complications during pregnancy are the leading cause of death. Even with a slight decline in the number of girls undergoing female genital mutilation, the overall rate of decline needs to accelerate to reach the goal of complete eradication by 2030.

The report also highlights the economic and digital risks faced by girls, 9 out of 10 of whom are from low-income countries and do not have access to the internet, which limits their educational and development opportunities compared to boys. Despite these challenges, authorities and international organizations stress the importance of investing in education, digital skills and social protection to unlock the potential of young girls and give them a chance for a better future.

The report says that although some progress has been made, there is still a long way to go to achieve gender equality and improved living conditions for adolescent girls. International organizations are calling for urgent and coordinated action to protect girls' rights and support them in realizing their potential.