Adolescent girls in Gaza: the state of the evidence

This situation analysis synthesises what is known about the capabilities of adolescent girls living in Gaza. Where no disaggregated evidence is available, it uses what is known about Gazan youth and Gazan women to contextualize girls’ lives. It also highlights the key actors working to create change for adolescent girls.

First briefly explaining the Gazan context—including its history of conflict and political and social realities—the analysis then turns to each of GAGE’s capability domains: education, physical health and nutrition, bodily integrity and freedom from violence, psychosocial well-being, voice and agency, and economic empowerment. Drawing on both academic and grey literature, it summarises what is known about each, identifies trends and patterns across time and between populations of girls, and highlights the gaps where GAGE is poised to contribute to the evidence base.

Overall, the situation analysis concludes that the capabilities of girls living in Gaza are deeply uneven. While they are more likely to be enrolled in school than boys, they remain vulnerable to child marriage and adolescent pregnancy and face sharp limits on their mobility, access to voice and agency, and economic empowerment. Programming in Gaza, while plentiful and varied, rarely focuses on girls’ gender- and age-specific needs and remains largely unevaluated, meaning that evidence about how to support girls’ transitions to adulthood is fledgling.

Suggested citation

Pettit, J., Presler-Marshall, E. and Hamad, B. A. (2017) Adolescent girls in Gaza: the state of the evidence. London: Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence. (https://www.gage.odi.org/publication/adolescent-girls-gaza-state-of-evidence/)