ADVOCATING ON BEHALF OF ALL GIRLS

Combat Bullying, Harassment, & Sexual Violence

Sexual harassment and violence can lead to ongoing physical, mental, and economic consequences and can adversely affect the ability of youth to stay in school and hold down jobs, further limiting their opportunities. Girls Inc. takes a holistic approach to combating sexual violence, harassment and bullying by raising awareness about girls’ rights and schools’ obligations and advocating for policies that promote safe learning environments and address the root causes of sexual violence.

Girls Inc. PNW works to:

• Ensure schools prevent and address harassment and violence, and student survivors get the support they need to continue their education.
• Prevent sexual violence, teen dating violence, and child sex trafficking by raising awareness and pushing schools to teach healthy relationship education and train staff to identify signs of victimization.
• Strengthen laws, policies, and programs that promote trauma-informed practices and improve support for survivors of gender-based violence.

Promote Educational Opportunities & Economic Independence

Too many girls are not receiving the educational opportunities and support they need to achieve their dreams. Women earn only 31% of all post-secondary STEM degrees awarded in the United States despite the fact that girls who are exposed to STEM programming at a young age express interest in these subjects. In addition, punitive and exclusionary school discipline practices often push girls out of the classroom instead of providing them with the support they need to be successful in school. Girls Inc. fights to improve access to quality educational experiences for underserved girls, for whom such opportunities are critical in overcoming income inequality and other challenges to reaching their potential.

Girls Inc. PNW works to:

• Promote girls’ access to meaningful educational opportunities for career paths that are nontraditional for women, including in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
• Advance diverse media representation of women and girls in nontraditional career fields.
• Reform unfair school discipline policies and practices that disproportionately push girls of color, girls with disabilities and LGBTQIA youth out of school.
• Advance policies that provide educational opportunities for young people, regardless of real or perceived immigration status or family income.

Support Girls’ Mental Health

No one should be made to feel ashamed about taking steps to improve their mental health. While 1 in 5 teens report suffering from a mental illness, many do not feel comfortable asking for help because of societal stigma and those who do may not have access to quality, affordable care. Almost 8 in 10 high school girls report being unhappy with their bodies, LGBTQ students experience high rates of bullying and harassment, and girls who survive trauma often get punished for coping behaviors instead of getting the help they need to heal.

Girls Inc. PNW works to:

• Combat prevalent stigmas surrounding mental health issues and treatment, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and trauma.
• Promote diverse, empowering images of people of all races, ethnicities, skin colors, sizes, body types and abilities, and combat limiting depictions of women that contribute to mental health conditions and low self-esteem.
• Push for more school-based health centers, counselors, social workers, and other programs that help low-income youth access mental health services.
• Advocate for trauma survivors’ access to the resources they need to heal and succeed, in schools, in the juvenile justice system, and in their communities.

Advance Reproductive Justice

Too many young people do not have the necessary information they need to make informed decisions about their bodies and sexual health. Often the girls who are least informed are the most vulnerable to sexually transmitted infections, unplanned pregnancy, and unhealthy relationships. In order for youth and young adults to make informed decisions about their bodies and health, Girls Inc. PNW advocates for comprehensive, medically accurate, non-shaming, and LGBT-inclusive sexuality education, as well as access to quality, affordable reproductive health care for all.

Girls Inc. PNW works to:

• Advocate for schools to provide comprehensive, medically accurate, non-shaming, and LGBTQIA-inclusive sexuality education that informs young people about how to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections.
• Expand and protect access to quality, affordable reproductive health care for youth.

Address the Prevalence of Gender Stereotypes in Media

From magazines to marketing campaigns, media and retail industries bombard girls with negative stereotypes and limiting images. These messages teach girls that their worth is tied to their appearance and shape their ideas about gender roles, sexual behavior, substance use, and violence.

Girls Inc. PNW works to:

• Improve girls’ media literacy skills so that they learn to analyze what they see and hear in the media and think critically about how entertainment, news and advertising can be changed to become more realistic and reflective of their lives.
• Promote media use of healthy and diverse body images, positive and active women role models, and equal and healthy relationships.