Global crisis for girls

Each year, 12 million girls are married before the age of 18, according to a report by the Christian organization World Vision. The report highlights that girls face the highest costs of poverty and armed conflicts, often without public acknowledgment or support.

Female genital mutilation remains widespread

Female genital mutilation (FGM) remains a daily reality for millions of girls. More than 230 million women and girls today live with the consequences of FGM, and in 2026, 4.5 million girls, mostly under the age of five, are still exposed to it.

Conflict-related sexual violence escalates

Rape as a weapon of war is a significant issue in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), among other examples. In 2025, 1,534 victims of sexual violence related to conflict were recorded, including 672 young girls, with most victims living in the North and South Kivu regions.

Child marriage as a solution to poverty

Other horrors await girls in certain countries. Each year, 12 million of them are married before the age of 18. The report warns that early marriage is often seen as a solution to poverty, with a married girl reducing the number of mouths to feed and providing a dowry for the family.

Afghanistan restricts girls' education

In Afghanistan, where child marriage is once again allowed, girls are also prohibited from secondary education since the return of the Taliban to power in 2021. The report notes that Afghanistan is the only country in the world to have deliberately erased the right of girls to learn.

Call for global action

For the organization, "solutions exist," but "what is missing is the political will and the means to translate it into action." It calls on the international community to fund the protection of girls in conflict zones and to exert diplomatic pressure to ensure that Afghan girls can return to school.