2020 was supposed to be a once-in-a-generation opportunity for women and girls. The year when governments, businesses, organisations, and individuals came together to develop a five-year plan to accelerate progress for #GenerationEquality. Then COVID-19 struck. Now, unless the world acts fast, 2020 risks being a year of irreversible setbacks and lost progress for girls. This report looks at 25 years of progress with and for girls and the threats that the looming COVID-19 crisis now poses to those hard-won gains. It includes new projections based on the economic impact of COVID-19 in 2020, expected to increase the number of girls at risk of child marriage and adolescent pregnancy. This is Save the Children’s first adolescent-friendly global flagship report. It was written with input from a girls’ advisory group and includes written content, girls’ stories, videos, art, and poetry in every chapter, as well as recommendations to the global community on how to work with girls to #ProtectaGeneration against the worst impacts of the pandemic.
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