The world is currently experiencing the highest number of displaced people ever recorded. In countries affected by conflict, girls face significant challenges in accessing education, with their likelihood of being out of school more than double compared to girls in non-affected countries. Let's explore the current data and key insights:

• By 2030, it is projected that only one out of five girls in crisis-affected contexts will have the ability to read a simple sentence.
• In countries greatly affected by fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV), girls are 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than boys. Compared to FCV contexts with stable or decreasing rates, girls in severely affected areas are 90% more likely to be out of secondary school.
• There has been a global shift in the number of out-of-school boys at the secondary level. Currently, there are 97 million out-of-school girls compared to 102 million boys. Boys face greater pressure to drop out early to support their families. To address this issue, school policies, curriculum, and attendance requirements need to be more flexible, catering to the specific needs of struggling boys.

In conflict settings, girls' identities are often tied to notions of peacemaking, caregiving, and the need for protection. However, these stereotypes have skewed our understanding of girls in armed conflict, resulting in inadequate research. Girls' roles within state and non-state armed groups are diverse and can range from support roles to trained combatants. Their responsibilities may even exceed those of their male counterparts. Factors such as poverty and limited education opportunities contribute to their involvement in armed groups.

Disarmament, Demobilization, and Reintegration (DDR) programs often overlook girls leaving combat roles, as they are not perceived as perpetrators of violence. Consequently, these girls do not receive the necessary support to overcome their traumatic experiences. If they transition directly into marriage and motherhood, the violence and systems they experienced as child soldiers continue to shape their values and identities. Education plays a crucial role in empowering these girls, enabling them to overcome trauma and utilize the resilience they developed as child soldiers to create positive change.

At Genderscope, we are dedicated to addressing the unique challenges faced by girls in conflict-affected settings. We aim to promote education as a powerful tool for empowerment and advocate for gender equality in these contexts