Contents

Each year, Plan International releases the State of the World’s Girls report to mark International Day of the Girl (11th October); it is an opportunity to hear directly from girls around the world about a central theme that affects their lives. This year GeoPoll proudly supported the 2024 edition, titled Still We Dream: Girls and Young People Living Through Conflict. The report offers insight into the realities faced by girls and young people living in conflict zones across the world, and how conflict impacts their everyday lives and in different ways, based on gender. The experiences of violence, educational disruption, livelihood loss, and emotional distress, brought on by conflict, vary for girls and young women, boys and young men, and how this will affect their lives in the future. This report presents recommendations that are calling for ceasefire, peace efforts, and to end all grave violations against children.

Plan International’s adjoining #UniteForPeace global campaign, launching for International Day of the Girl, calls for action across the research recommendations and seeks to mobilize the public and decision-makers to stand in solidarity with girls and all young people living in conflict.

Methodology

GeoPoll was proud to partner with Plan International in this important initiative, contributing to the collection of data that underpins the report’s findings. Using primarily our computer-assisted telephone interviewing (CATI) capabilities and mobile surveys, we reached over 10,000 young people living in conflict areas across nine countries: Cameroon, Colombia, Ethiopia, Lebanon, Mozambique, Nigeria, Sudan, Ukraine, and the Philippines.

The research combined Plan International’s expertise and in-depth qualitative interviews among youth with GeoPoll’s quantitative surveys, capturing the statistics and the personal stories that reveal the day-to-day realities for girls, boys, young women, and young men in conflict zones.

Findings

The results are both heartbreaking and an urgent call to action:

  • Girls and young women face a gauntlet of increased risks, from sexual violence to forced early marriage to the associated emotional distress.
  • Boys and young men grapple with the threat of conscription into armed groups.
  • Despite it all, these young people still dare to dream of peace and a brighter future and supporting them is critical.

The impact of Plan International’s report extends far beyond awareness. It serves as a clarion call for:

  • Immediate ceasefires and renewed peace efforts.
  • An end to violations against children in conflict zones.
  • Gender-sensitive approaches to humanitarian aid and education.
  • Increased psychosocial support for conflict-affected youth.

Read the Still We Dream report

We encourage you to read the full report and delve into the stories, data, and recommendations that can shape an international approach to supporting youth in conflict zones.

Read Still We Dream: Girls and Young People Living Through Conflict and join Plan International’s #UniteForPeace campaign here: https://plan-international.org/publications/still-we-dream

About GeoPoll

GeoPoll provides full-service research solutions in over 120 countries globally, focusing on low- and middle-income countries. Every year, GeoPoll completes more than 5 million surveys via multiple mobile-based remote and in-person data collection modes, powered by a network of 10,000+ interviewers from 65 call centers, local teams, and direct partnerships with mobile network operators. Contact us to learn more about this project and our capabilities.