Level the playing field so that girls have the same opportunities as boys. The result is a wholesale denial of the chance for a better future. Girls are also widely exploited as household labourers and victims of myriad forms of sexual abuse and exploitation. Bring illiteracy to an end. One quarter of children in developing countries who start school cannot stay long enough to ensure lasting literacy.
Babies born to illiterate girls are less likely to survive to adulthood.
Failure to provide every child with a basic education, including reading, writing and numerical skills, leads to shorter life spans and greater susceptibility to poverty and illness. End violence against girls and women. Rape, female genital mutilation and other forms of sexual, physical and emotional abuse have no place in a world that affirms the rights of all children. The determination to attain gender equality is destined to bring benefits to all the world's children. Reduce early pregnancies.