Plan, an NGO (non-governmental organisation) founded 70 years ago, has produced a report called "Because I am a Girl". It is a searching, in parts hopeful, in parts totally depressing, document that shows girls from the developed to the developing world, "enjoying" second-class status.

In countries where conditions are already appalling for children, the difference between first- and second-class citizens (that is, boys and girls) is the difference between living and dying. In countries like Australia, where we have bragged of our women's movement for 100 years, it's the difference between the rhetoric of justice and actual justice.

Some facts:

• There are an estimated 100 million girls missing from the world due to sex-selective abortions, but this is merely where the cycle of discrimination begins.
  Assuming she is born at all, in some parts of the world, a girl is less likely than a boy to receive medical care or enough food, meaning she'll either die or become one of the 450 million women worldwide who suffer from stunted growth.
  Three-quarters of the world's 15-24 year olds infected with HIV are women.
  Pregnancy is the leading cause of death for 15-19 year olds.
  Millions of girls are denied education, forced to work, sold into early marriage or domestic labour, and subjected to sexual abuse and violence.

In marie claire's January issue, we look at girls around the world; girls like Zenabou, 13, of The Republic of Cameroon...

"I represented my tribe at the children's parliament in Cameroon and went to the capital, Yaoundé, for a week. I enjoyed staying with my fellow parliamentarians and was selected to present a bouquet of flowers to the Minister for Social Affairs. The event made me want to get a good enough education to be a parliamentarian when I grow up. I got back home full of joy and excitement, but I was in for a shock.

"My parents told me I wouldn't return to school; they had arranged for me to marry and my suitor was waiting. I thought it was the end of my bright future. I wasn't ready for marriage, so I escaped to Plan's regional offices. They met my parents and members of my community and made them understand that it was important I finished school. The dowry was reimbursed and everyone learnt something."


MAKE A DIFFERENCE

"Because I am a Girl" is the first of nine reports to be released annually until 2015, the year that the UN completes its final review of the Millennium Development Goals. As the debut report, it reveals the situation for girls. The subsequent reports will deal with how girls' plights can be changed and their rights secured.

To support Plan Australia or find out more information about "Because I am a Girl", visit www.plan.org.au or call 13 75 26.