When February comes around, the display racks in stationary shops are crammed with cards decorated with red hearts. The florist's order books overflow with orders for roses; as well as the jeweller's windows being chock a block with sparkling diamond rings in velvet boxes.
The weeks running up to Valentine's Day fills many a teenage girl's imagination with dreams of romance, love and ever lasting friendship. But for girls in the underdeveloped world romance, or courtship will never play part of their lives.
As gender inequality continues, young girls under the age of 12 years old are being made to dropout of school, forced into marriage and endure difficult pregnancies that sometimes lead to their death. If that isn't bad enough they face the risk of contracting HIV, Aids and often live a life violent abuse.
This year UNESCO has drawn up a 7 year action plan focusing on gender inequality and we can only hope and pray that the work this organisation and others like them do, will help stop these girl's childhood years being stolen from them. Eventually allowing them to have the freedom to dream and choose who they want to be with, when they are of the age to have romance on their minds.
www.unesco.org www.savethechildren.net
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