They have reduced access to nutrition, health care and education. They are too often victims of gender discrimination, violence, sexual exploitation and abuse. In its most severe from this discrimination results in the practice of foeticide and infanticide of the girl infant. Progress is occurring in education of girls, with most developing countries reporting significant gains in primary education. Violence is seen as the most serious problem for girls everywhere, varying regionally from interfamilial sexual and physical abuse, to female genital mutilation, early marriage, and commercial sexual exploitation.
Teenage pregnancy is a widespread concern and often begins a cycle of deprivation.
Finally,even where minimum age labour laws exist, there is little political will to enforce them. S ome figures to make us think An estimated 450 million women in developing countries are stunted as a result of childhood malnutrition. Fifteen million babies are born yearly to girls aged 15-17 years. In the USA, nearly 1 million teenagers become pregnant every year. Two million girls suffer genital mutilation yearly.