Girl child and human rights: What we don't do matters

Healthography specifies that where one lives affects one’s health and well-being.  This is exemplified in how the girl child is perceived socially, culturally, and legally, and the resultant difference in health status and welfare of this group worldwide.  Human rights are universal and apply to every individual in spite of where one lives. The United Nations (UN) Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women in 1979 and the subsequent UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), 1989 acknowledged the vulnerability of children and their need for protection. The CRC addresses the social, cultural, economic, civil, and political rights of this vulnerable population. In spite of such holistic treaties, the girl child continues to be disadvantaged in different stages of her development resulting in long lasting negative consequences. Some of the disadvantages experienced by the girl child include gender inequality; malnutrition; inadequate schooling; physical, emotional, and sexual violence; indentured servitude; sexual slavery; forced involvement in armed conflict; increased risk of STIs  including human immunodeficiency virus; early marriage; and a lifetime of discrimination.  This paper, using an extensive review of published scientific studies and reports, identifies the value, utility, and implementation of a human rights framework to reduce and eliminate the discrimination faced by the girl child worldwide.  Evidence-based key strategies found to be effective in furthering the health and welfare of the girl child are specified and discussed. The urgent need to step-up global efforts to bring about equality,  for the girl child is demonstrated