The Observatory is an initiative of Plan International's Regional Office in Latin America and the Caribbean and PLAN Foundation, which aims to collect, organize and systematize official information from 13 countries on the main issues related to the rights of girls and adolescents, starting with three: Gender-Based Violence, Forced Child and Adolescent Pregnancy, and Forced Marriages and Unions.

It is a virtual evidence platform that allows the analysis of data on the situation of girls by collecting information so far from 79 official sources that feed 159 indicators with more than 1 million 1 thousand records.

The observatory presents this data to all audiences, serving to increase knowledge, strengthen advocacy processes at regional and national levels, and improve decision-making processes.   

This observatory analyzes information from 79 official sources of information, thus facilitating an approach to the situations of children and adolescents in the thirteen countries where Plan International is present in the region - Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil, from a gender and rights perspective.

The information is presented in context, making it easy to interpret and use by the different audiences; it collects, processes and presents the information so that anyone can interact with it and with the disaggregations of their interest. Through the observatory we therefore promote access to and use of public information.  

Our commitment is to make a lasting impact on the lives of the most vulnerable and excluded children while generating greater equality for girls. Our purpose then concerns two primary, intersecting impact groups:

• Children in situations of vulnerability and exclusion; and
• girls in particular

Girls do not fall into a single social group. The discrimination they face differs according to their age, sex, location and other social exclusion factors such as disability, human mobility, sexual orientation, gender identity and ethnicity, to name a few. These different conditions intersect and affect the way girls and adolescents interact with their peers, families and communities and access to the enjoyment of their human rights.

Girls in all their diversity are a particularly important impact group for Plan. Gender inequality combines all forms of exclusion, making the effects of exclusion different and often worse for girls and women. We believe that by making measurable changes in the lives of vulnerable and excluded girls we can make our best contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and our shared ambition to leave no one behind.

Girls and young women in the Latin American and Caribbean Region face multiple barriers in terms of education, health, autonomy, agency, empowerment, sexual and reproductive rights, challenges to move freely and safely within and between the cities, towns and communities where they live; to live, socialize, grow, self-organize and build social networks.

Within this reality, three of the most important causes of the barriers and challenges faced by girls and young women are: high rates of gender-based violence (GBV), early and forced child marriage and unions (MUIFT), forced pregnancies among girls and teenage pregnancies. 

At Plan International we have understood that it is both a responsibility and an opportunity to have data that shows the realities of millions of girls in our region.

Data and information on girls' realities strengthens our influence at all levels: from communities to global spaces. Having data combined with the knowledge we have already gained through our work and the voices of girls will help us develop better and more effective solutions to poverty and real progress on gender equality for girls and adolescents in Latin America and the Caribbean.

HOW ARE THE DATA OBTAINED?

The data are obtained through a search process in official sources, mainly in the statistical institutes of the different countries, since they are responsible for national statistical information. Additionally, depending on the subject matter, other public and available official sources are used. Such as: Forensic Offices Database, Ministry of Health, National Police, public universities among others.

The data that can be found in the 'Observatorio Realidad de las niñas' are the data that these institutions make public. In the event that the institutions do not make the data public, they will not be included in the Observatory.

WHAT DOES UP-TO-DATE DATA DEPEND ON?

The updating of data published in the 'Observatorio la Realidad de las niñas' depends on 3 criteria:

1. Production of official statistical information for each country
2. That this information is published, accessible and available to all publics.
3. That it has the level of disaggregation necessary to visualize the realities of girls.    

WHICH COUNTRIES ARE THE DATA FROM AND WHY THOSE COUNTRIES?

The data corresponds to the countries where Plan International is present - Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay and Brazil, from a Gender and Rights perspective.

HOW OFTEN WILL THE OBSERVATORY BE UPDATED?

For the updating of the data we depend on the update made by the responsible institutions in each country. However, every 6 months Plan will review these sources and in case of having updated data they will be included in the observatory.

The observatory is a dynamic tool that responds to the timing and updating of statistical production in each country.

The information presented in the 'Reality of Girls' observatory is updated with the most recent official and public data from each country according to the sources used.

If you are aware of any other official source of information that could improve the approach to the realities of girls or if you find any error in the presentation of the data of this observatory, please contact: realidaddelasninas@plan-international.org​