Inclusion of a diverse range of girls is important to ensure that programmes address the different experiences, needs and priorities among girls and leave no one behind. Girls and young women from marginalised groups can face increased challenges and risks of violence. For instance, adolescents with disabilities are 2 to 4 times more likely to experience violence than non-disabled adolescents, with girls being at particular risk of sexual violence. There are many ways girls can be meaningfully engaged in policy and programming work, for instance leadership opportunities, peer mentorship training, as data collectors, or through the formation of a youth advisory group. Read more on how to reach marginalised groups and how to conduct ethical data collection.

Note: When working with and for adolescent girls, it’s important to respond to the needs and additional sensitives of married girls as well as separated, divorced, young mothers and widowed girls. Ensure to proceed at a pace appropriate for the specific adolescent girls and help them to learn and disseminate useful information while being mindful of stigmatising or triggering themes. Supporting access to referral mechanisms and case management services is essential to avoid causing further harm.

Adolescence is a time of rapid physical and cognitive development, so it is important to consider different approaches to engage at different stages of girlhood and adolescence. Approaches that work with girls at age 10 will usually vary from those with 19-year-olds. At the same time, it is important to consider the specific circumstances of adolescent girls: approaches that work with in-school girls may need to be different for out-of-school girls, for married girls, or girls who are mothers. Research suggests that interventions using group-based approaches are most effective when girls who share similar characteristics and life situations are grouped together. However, it is important that approaches leave no one behind and remain inclusive and accessible, for instance for girls with disabilities.

The most effective way to address violence against adolescent girls is to listen to and actively involve them in designing programmes. This will help to tailor programmes to the particular challenges and opportunities that girls face, as well as the resources and platforms they have access to.

An important element of working with and for girls on VAWG programming involves providing access to high-quality, girl-friendly services for girls who have experienced violence. Working with girls can also require additional sensitivity and specialised training; where girls have survived violence, it’s important to provide them with age-sensitive care. The types of violence that girls are exposed to, their capacity and agency, and the resources available to them can vary significantly across developmental stages of girlhood. Services should be age and developmentally appropriate, located in a secure area, feel welcoming and comfortable, and provide services in a safe manner – keeping a real-time list of available services that work in this way is important for referral pathways.

When designing programming in resource-constrained environments, or where girl-friendly services don’t exist, evidence suggests giving adolescents a voice and a seat at the table, meaningfully engaging them to push for more adolescent-friendly services. Advocating for policies, budgets, frameworks and the implementation of laws can also create an enabling environment so that violence against adolescent girls, especially those who are at risk, does not fall through the cracks. Read more about providing VAWG response services

Safe spaces for girls can be shared with women, and can exist online as well:

• Women and Girls Safe Spaces: These spaces support women and girls to develop strategies and assertive skills to negotiate and challenge harmful practices that fuel sexual and gender-based violence. They can learn how to challenge social norms, including child marriage, and about their sexual and reproductive health and rights. Read more about women and girls' safe spaces
• Online safe spaces: Mobile service delivery can be designed to support a range of different age groups and topics, including girl-specific needs. For example, Laaha is an online space created for and by women and girls to share information on health, safety, violence and relationships and how to access services when needed. Read more about remote and mobile service delivery

Adolescent girls commonly face gender-based and age-based barriers to their participation in decision-making spaces, and leadership opportunities on issues that affect them and matter to them. Evidence shows that building girls’ self-efficacy, confidence and skills can support changes in attitudes to gender equality and help reduce gender-discriminatory practices, such as child marriage or limitations on girls’ mobility outside the home. Such capacity building can be provided through awareness raising, skills training and peer support initiatives, for example in safe spaces. Girl-led programmes are promising because they can restore dignity, build solidarity, and give girls the capacity to aspire and encourage innovation. These programmes can also enable girls to champion gender equality and ending violence in their communities; amplifying the impact of these programmes.

According to Population Council research, empowerment skills and activities for girls should include an age-appropriate mix of social, health and economic assets, such as:

• Knowledge about one’s body, menstruation, family planning and sexual education
• Comprehensive HIV knowledge
• Assistance to access health and violence prevention services
• Information about the benefits of formal schooling (to girls, parents and local leaders)
• Public/civic engagement activities to raise the local visibility of girls
• Locally-tailored and age-appropriate financial education

Work with adolescent girls cannot be effectively undertaken in isolation of wider attitudes, behaviours and social norms that shape the lives of girls, or without engaging key stakeholders that influence the lives of girls including parents and caregivers, service providers, men and boys and traditional or faith leaders.

This is especially important as social attitudes and contexts can influence the normalisation of violence against girls, such as Early and Forced Child Marriage (EFCM), Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C), older men making sexual approaches to girls once they reach puberty, and girls dropping out of school due to these practices or lack of family support.

Furthermore, early adolescence (ages 10-14) is a sensitive, formative period when girls confront prevalent norms and their own attitudes and behaviours can shift or become fixed in light of these. It is therefore a critical time to intervene to engage girls and those family and community members who influence their lives in work to challenge and transform harmful norms. Read more about transforming social norms

Programmes working with girls should ensure that rigorous risk mitigation measures are included to recognise and safeguard against risks of backlash and potential violence and abuse perpetrated during the programme.  As most girls will be under 18 years, it is important to put in place child safeguarding policies and protocols.

This means organisations commit to not exposing children to the risk of harm and abuse, and that any concerns an organisation has about a child’s safety within the community they are working in are reported to the appropriate authorities. Equally, this includes vetting of all staff and volunteers who work directly with adolescent girls. Overall, it is important to involve key staff and management in the development and implementation of these policies and procedures, as well as children and communities where appropriate.