Gender-based violence is driving adolescent girls from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and Mexico to embark on journeys along one of the world’s most dangerous migration routes, according to Plan International’s report “Adolescent Girls in Crisis: Experiences of Migration in Central America and Mexico.” Plan International’s study, produced with the support of the European Union’s Directorate General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection (ECHO) and other partners, shines a light on the lives of migrant girls in these four countries, many of whom have made the dangerous journey northwards in search of better life opportunities.
2025 was a standout year for domestic youth engagement at Plan International USA. In this report, we highlight the leadership, advocacy, and impact of young people across our programs. From the Youth Advisory Board and Youth Leadership Academy to Girl Takeovers and national advocacy moments, explore how young people are shaping change in their communities and beyond.
Plan International USA’s 2025 Annual Review highlights how evidence, accountability and girls’ leadership shaped our work in a complex global landscape.
From education and protection to humanitarian response and policy advocacy, this report shares the impact of programs that reached 49.2 million children worldwide, including 26.1 million girls, and outlines our financial performance for the year.
For 18 years, Plan International followed 142 girls in nine countries from birth in 2006 to age 18 in 2024.
This final report shares what the girls told us about education, safety, health, unpaid care work, climate change, leadership and their hopes for the future.
It is one of the only long-term global studies to track the same group of girls from birth to adulthood. Their experiences offer rare insight into how gender norms, poverty, violence and climate pressures shape girls’ lives over time.
What we learned
Girls are staying in school longer than their mothers and setting higher goals for themselves. Many are challenging traditional expectations around marriage, work and leadership.
But progress toward gender equality is uneven and fragile.
Violence against girls remains widespread. Poverty continues to shape daily life. Climate change is increasing pressure on families and communities. In many places, backlash against girls’ rights is growing.
Adolescence emerged as a critical turning point. This is often when freedoms shrink, unpaid care work increases and girls face pressure to leave school or marry.
When girls are supported to stay in school, protected from violence and included in decisions that affect their lives, they thrive.
In their own words
Girls’ voices are at the heart of this report. Their experiences and recommendations shape the findings and point to what needs to change.
“I want to be so many things. Maybe a psychologist, a doctor, a teacher or an accountant.”
Yulitza, 16, Peru
Explore the findings
The full report covers:
- Education and school completion
- Resisting gender norms
- Unpaid care work and time poverty
- Health and wellbeing
- Sexual and reproductive health
- Child, early and forced marriages and unions
- Violence and protection
- Climate change and food insecurity
- Agency, leadership and participation
- Aspirations and pathways to decent work
Educational experiences of adolescents in the context of pregnancy and parenthood in Paraguay
The research, conducted in communities in Guairá, Paraguarí, San Pedro, and Asunción, was based on 97 interviews with teenage mothers, their parents, teachers and community leaders.
About the research
Girls who become pregnant due to sexual violence, child marriage, or forced unions also face poverty and widespread discrimination, including school bullying, a new study by FLACSO Paraguay and Plan International reveals.
Key findings
It shows that teenage pregnancy is not an isolated event, but connected to inequality and violence, which in turn reinforces exclusion from school and wider society.
The findings show that stigma in classrooms often turns into mockery, forcing girls out of school.
“I wanted to go back to studying, but I was a little ashamed at the idea of going back and being made fun of.”
Emilia, now 17, became pregnant at 15
Concerningly, the interviews also found that many teenage pregnancies occur in contexts marked by violence, including sexual abuse and coercive relationships with adult men. FLACSO and Plan International warn that these situations leave girls isolated and vulnerable, cutting short their right to a full and safe adolescence.
Traditional expectations still place the burden of childcare almost entirely on girls and women, the report also found, reducing their chances of staying in school or continuing their education.
"I have to do everything… even when I’m sick, I still get up because I have responsibilities with my son."
Emilia, now 17, became pregnant at 15
Another recurring pattern highlighted is the absence of men in parenting roles. The lack of recognition of adolescent fatherhood reinforces unequal dynamics and leaves young mothers to face the challenges alone.
The findings point to the need for stronger efforts to promote equality, shared responsibility and non-violence, conditions that are essential to protecting girls and preventing child pregnancy.
To ensure the right to education for adolescents, it is essential to:
- Foster human rights education that supports the development of peer relationships based on equality and non-discrimination.
- Ensure childcare services.
- Strengthen policies and programs that protect girls and adolescents from violence and educational exclusion.
- Strengthen coordination between educational, health, and social protection institutions to provide comprehensive and sustained support.
- Foster teacher awareness and ensure the effective implementation of school reintegration protocols.
Across Benin to Vietnam, young girls are pushing back against gender expectations. Through Plan International’s 18-year study, we uncover powerful stories of resilience, defiance and change driven by girls navigating and reshaping their worlds.
This year Plan International’s annual State of the World’s Girls report is focused on girls’ experience of child marriage: a practice that despite large scale policy action and legislative reform, remains widespread.
Plan International USA’s 2024 Annual Review highlights how evidence, accountability and girls’ leadership shaped our work in a complex global landscape.
This year’s State of the World’s Girls Report focuses on the experiences of young people whose lives are dominated by conflict.
From the United Nations to the White House, 2023 was an incredible year for youth engagement at Plan International USA! In this report, we highlight just some of our amazing young people and their experiences in partnership with Plan USA. You’ll read about Plan’s Youth Leadership Academy, our Youth Advisory Board, Girl Takeovers and more.
Plan International USA’s 2023 Annual Review highlights how evidence, accountability and girls’ leadership shaped our work in a complex global landscape.
Inside this issue, you’ll see how your support made a difference in 2023, and read about some of the incredible accomplishments made possible through Plan USA’s We Are the Girls campaign over the past five years. You’ll discover why we’ve joined forces with Paramount to launch 8M Infinito, a campaign that seeks to promote gender equality and make women’s and girls’ rights visible throughout the year. And you’ll hear from four young women fighting to ensure all girls are free to reach their full potential.