Dear All
As we mark the International Day of the Girl Child – October 11, 2025,For More than 30 months into Sudan's conflict, girls continue to face displacement, violence, and denial of education and protection — yet their courage and leadership shine through. They are not only surviving this crisis; they are leading change in their communities.
Despite the many challenges they face, our girls in Sudan continue to lead with resilience and determination. — They are visionaries of peace and recovery.
We extend our celebration to all the girls around the globe for their determination and leadership.
Together, let us stand beside them, protect their rights, and invest in their leadership and future.
I am here attaching the Joint Advocacy Note, "The Girl I Am, the Change I Lead: Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis.", which was shared by the GBV and Child Protection AoRs. Let us share it widely to amplify their voices.
Best Regards.
International Day of the Girl
Child – October 11, 2025
The Girl I Am, the Change I Lead:
Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis
More than 30 months into Sudan’s conflict, girls are paying the heaviest price. They are being
displaced, abused, attacked, married off too young, silenced, and denied education and
hope. Behind every statistic is a girl whose rights, body, and future are either under threat or
lost.
The devastating effects of Sudan's conflict are felt most acutely by girls whose everyday lives,
dreams and childhoods have been upended in ways that statistics alone cannot capture.
When families lose their livelihoods and face impossible choices, some are forced to adopt
harmful coping mechanisms such as marrying off their daughters far too early, before being
18, hoping it will offer a measure of protection from armed groups or relief from poverty. For
others like child survivors, they are married off to older men with multiple wives under the
guise of family honor.
Key concerns
In Sudan over 34% of the girls are married before 18, some as young as 12 years. For these
girls, childhood ends abruptly, replaced by adult responsibilities and the loss of their dreams
for education, a healthy life and independence. Female Genital mutilation affects 68.8% of
girls by age 14 in Sudan, affecting their physical, psychological and social wellbeing. Girls
continue to be affected by trafficking, abductions, rape, child bearing and the recruitment
and use by armed groups. These violations impede any chances girls have at thriving to be
leaders, let alone surviving!
Survivors, their families and those trying to help them continue to bear the outcome of
violence and abuse, as they live in constant fear of being stigmatized or attacked simply for
asking for help, or for speaking out. Many girls who have suffered violence are silenced, not
only by their trauma but by threats and intimidation that make seeking help or justice
impossible.
Vital support services including health care, mental health and psychosocial support,
counseling, and legal aid are often not available or hard to reach. In communities where
security is fragile and resources are stretched thin, girls find themselves with nowhere to turn,
hampering their recovery, safe reintegration and hope for justice slipping further away.
The loss of education weighs heavily on thousands of girls, with over 2.5 million school aged
girls out of school, representing 74% of girls in that age group. Every day spent outside the
classroom is another day of vulnerability, denying them not just knowledge, but protection,
confidence, and the chance to shape their own futures. For these girls, education is more
than a right, it’s a lifeline, one that must be restored if they are to reclaim hope and dignity.
International Day of the Girl
Child – October 11, 2025
The Girl I Am, the Change I Lead:
Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis
The denial of reproductive health and rights (RHR) further puts girls at serious risk. Early
and unintended pregnancies—often resulting from child marriage or sexual violence—
threaten their health and lives, with 5.3% of women aged 20–24 having given birth before
age 15 (UNFPA, Adolescent Pregnancy Profile). Limited access to essential services, safe
delivery care, and postnatal support, combined with stigma and lack of confidentiality,
leaves many girls vulnerable to complications such as fistula, anemia, and even death,
undermining their future and well-being.
Girls as Leaders
Despite the challenges faced, Sudanese Girls show remarkable resilience depicted in the
leadership roles they have taken up in the local responses. Girls are leading in their
communities, including in displacement camps, as heads of Adolescent clubs, school clubs
and networks. They also lead awareness and advocacy campaigns as well as represent
peers in adult forums such as protection committees and networks. Girls have the desire,
passion and commitment to lead! Let us invest and build their agency to be leaders even in
this crisis context.
The Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Child Protection (CP) Areas of Responsibility (AoRs)
stand united to say: girls in Sudan are not only collateral damage of this war—they are the
future of peace. Investing in the safety, dignity, wellbeing and leadership of girls today is
investing in the recovery and future stability of an accountable Sudan.
Key Asks
To the Government of Sudan
Uphold safeguard of civilians, with particular attention to the protection of girls, from all
forms of gender-based violence.
Ensure perpetrators are held accountable and strengthen accountability mechanisms
Continue to restore secure access to essential services, including education and
healthcare, with an emphasis on meeting the tailored needs of girls.
Invest in girls! They are a critical to the future of Sudan
To the Humanitarian Country Team and Partners
Strengthen GBV risk mitigation, child protection, and reproductive health measures
across all sectors, ensuring that humanitarian responses are safe, inclusive, and
responsive to the needs of women, girls, and other vulnerable groups.
Reinforce frontline workers’ skills in GBV, child protection, reproductive health, and
(PSEA) through regular training, mentoring, and supervision to ensure quality,
coordinated service delivery.
International Day of the Girl
Child – October 11, 2025
The Girl I Am, the Change I Lead:
Girls on the Frontlines of Crisis
Ensure response plans prioritize survivor-centered, age-appropriate services — including
access to reproductive health care — and uphold the Best Interests of the Child in every
aspect of humanitarian action.
To Donors
Allocate flexible, multi-year funding for life saving child protection, GBV and RH
programs.
Invest in local, girl-led initiatives and community-driven prevention efforts.
Support advocacy activities that promote civilian protection, safeguard humanitarian
space, and ensure safe and unhindered access to assistance — including reproductive
health and Child protection and GBV services for women and girls across Sudan.
The CP and GBV AoRs urge all partners to strengthen protection and invest in girls’
leadership by:
Expanding safe spaces, holistic static and mobile response services (medical,
psychosocial, legal, and livelihoods), where girls can find support and be empowered to
be the leaders they have potential to be.
Supporting girl- and women-led organizations that deliver essential protection services.
Promoting girls’ participation and leadership in humanitarian planning and community
decision-making.
Restoring access to education as a protective and empowering tool.
Ensuring integrated CP–GBV coordination and data-driven response.
Supporting prevention and elimination of harmful practices and negative coping
mechanisms such as child marriage and FGM in order to give the girls a chance to
understand, express and act on their own choices.
On this International Day of the Girl Child, the Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and Child
Protection (CP) Areas of Responsibility reaffirm their commitment to protecting,
empowering, and amplifying the voices of Sudanese girls—not merely as victims, but as
leaders of change.
Investing in girls today is essential for securing peace and resilience in Sudan for
tomorrow.
On this International Day
of the Girl Child,
the Gender-Based Violence (GBV)
and Child
Protection (CP)
Areas of Responsibility
reaffirm their commitment to protecting,
empowering,
and amplifying the voices of Sudanese girls—not merely
as victims,
but as
leaders of change.
Investing in girls today
is essential for securing peace and resilience in Sudan for
tomorrow.
For more information
GBV AoR Coordination:
CP AoR Coordination:
r
alabre@unfpa.org ;
shaza@nadaelazhar.org
mkkannusamy@unicef.org;
hoda.nyakato@plan-international.or
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