Every Girl Deserves a Childhood and a Future

Every girl deserves time to grow, space to learn and the freedom to imagine her future. Yet millions of girls grow up with decisions already made for them: whether they will attend school, when they will marry, where they can go and how much their opinions matter. International Day of the Girl Child examines these everyday restrictions and recognises girls as people with rights, abilities and aspirations of their own.
The United Nations General Assembly established the day to recognise girls’ rights and the particular challenges they face. First observed in 2012, the day draws attention to discrimination, unequal opportunities and harmful practices that can follow girls from childhood into adult life. The 2026 theme, “End child marriage and invest in girls’ rights,” connects protection from early marriage with the opportunities girls need to shape their futures.
There has been progress, but the global picture remains troubling. The 2025 Girl Goals report by UNICEF, UN Women and Plan International reported that 122 million girls were out of school worldwide. Almost four in ten adolescent girls and young women did not complete upper secondary education. Nearly one in five girls are married during childhood and nearly one in four adolescent girls aged 15-19 who had ever been married or partnered had experienced violence from an intimate partner. These figures show how exclusion from education and exposure to violence continue to restrict girls’ lives.
Child marriage remains another serious barrier. UNICEF estimates that approximately 12 million girls marry before their eighteenth birthday each year. Marriage in childhood can interrupt education, increase the likelihood of early pregnancy, isolate girls from friends and support networks, and limit their future employment opportunities. Poverty, social expectations, and the belief that marriage will protect a girl can all contribute to the practice. Yet a decision presented as protection may expose her to further harm.
These challenges are connected. A girl who leaves school may become more vulnerable to early marriage, while marriage may prevent her from returning to education. Breaking this cycle requires accessible schools, healthcare, protection services, and support for families. It also requires listening to girls. Their experiences should help shape the policies intended to improve their lives.
UNICEF’s Global Annual Results Report 2025: Gender Equality shows what sustained investment in girls can achieve. Across its 2022-2025 Strategic Plan period, UNICEF reported supporting 86 million girls to access education and 17 million to participate in programmes that build their skills. 50 million adolescent girls benefited from interventions to prevent and respond to child marriage, while more than 275 million girls received nutrition support. These results illustrate why protecting childhood requires coordinated action across education, health, nutrition and child protection.
For Pakistan, this discussion carries particular urgency. It is reported that Pakistan is home to more than 19 million women who married before turning eighteen. This is a cumulative figure covering women across generations; it does not mean that 19 million girls marry each year. Nevertheless, it reveals the lasting scale of a practice that has shaped millions of lives.
Education presents an equally pressing concern. UNICEF’s current education overview estimates that 25.1 million Pakistani children aged 5-16 are out of school, representing approximately 35 percent of children in that age group. It identifies persistent gender disparities, particularly in Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where out-of-school girls outnumber boys. UNICEF also notes that education expenditure reported in the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25 was approximately 0.8 percent of GDP.
A girl’s absence from school should be a matter of serious discussion. Is there a secondary school nearby? Can she travel safely? Does the school have usable toilets and teachers who support her learning? Is she spending her day caring for siblings or doing household work? Can her family afford transport, books and other expenses? Encouraging parents to educate their daughters must go together with removing the barriers that make attendance difficult.
However, this issue belongs within a wider discussion of health, consent, constitutional protection and international obligations. Pakistan’s Constitution provides a clear basis for action. Article 25 guarantees equality before the law and prohibits discrimination based on sex, while allowing special provisions for women and children. Article 25A requires free and compulsory education for children aged five to sixteen. Article 35 directs the State to protect marriage, the family, the mother and the child. Together, these provisions support an approach in which girls’ education, safety and development are public responsibilities.
The legal position on child marriage has also developed in Pakistan. Sindh, Balochistan, Punjab, and the Islamabad Capital Territory have set 18 as the minimum marriage age for girls and boys. Recent reforms include the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2025, and the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2026. These developments should inform discussions of the current position, rather than repeating older accounts of different marriage ages for girls and boys in those jurisdictions.
Legislation needs effective implementation. Birth registration and reliable age verification should help prevent children from being married. Marriage registrars need clear instructions and accountability. Police, courts and child-protection authorities must respond promptly when a child faces an impending marriage. Girls also need safe accommodation, legal assistance and continued education when seeking protection would otherwise leave them without support.
Pakistan’s international commitments reinforce these responsibilities. The Convention on the Rights of the Child protects children’s development, education, participation, and freedom from violence. The Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women addresses marriage equality and provides that a child’s betrothal and marriage should have no legal effect. Sustainable Development Goal target 5.3 calls for the elimination of child, early and forced marriage. These commitments should guide decisions in schools, registration offices, police stations and courts.
Support must also reach girls who are already married or have become mothers. They need respectful healthcare, opportunities to resume learning, protection from violence and routes towards financial independence. Preventing future child marriages and assisting girls already affected are both necessary parts of protecting their rights.
Families and communities have an essential role. Parents can share household responsibilities fairly, support their daughters’ education, and take their concerns seriously. Teachers can notice unexplained absences and help girls remain connected to learning. Religious and community leaders can challenge harmful practices. Boys can learn that respect includes accepting girls’ equal right to study, participate, and make decisions about their lives.
International Day of the Girl Child should lead to changes that girls can feel in their daily lives: a school they can attend, a safe way to reach it, a trusted person who listens and an effective response when their rights are threatened. A girl should be able to grow into adulthood with her childhood protected and her possibilities open. Pakistan’s responsibility is to make that future available to every girl.