The world is turning its back on girls' rights and futures

Every day seems to be a “Day Of”.

- VICTORIA HARPER

Friday was World Mental Health Day, and last Thursday was World Sight Day - observed annually on the second Thursday of October to draw attention to eye health, blindness and vision impairment. Add in National Dessert Day (October 14, if you're asking) and World Pasta Day (October 25) and suddenly, you haven't got a day off from all the Days Of. I also bring you the sad news that you have missed Name Your Car Day, which was on 2 October. Maybe pop it on your calendar for next year.

So yes - these Days Of can sometimes feel tiresome, random, and occasionally irrelevant. But in these febrile times, it is worth pausing to reflect on the world that young girls are growing up in. Yesterday was International Day of the Girl.

A recent UN Women report says that nearly a quarter of governments globally reported a “backlash” on women’s and girls’ rights in 2024. Across multiple, often war-torn countries, girls’ rights are compromised by instability - schools destroyed, displacement, lack of safety, child marriage, limited access to health care and protection. In Afghanistan, under Taliban rule, girls over the age of 12 are banned from secondary and higher education, and if the ban stays until 2030, that number is projected to rise to more than 4 million.

Girls in the UK in 2025 are the most digitally connected, educated, and outspoken generation in history - but they are also among the most anxious and scrutinised. They grow up with unprecedented access to information, yet face online hostility and algorithm-driven ideals of perfection that can chip away at self-esteem - before they've even reached their 18th birthday.