A/RES/68/146 The girl child epidemic, including the care of and support for those living with and affected by HIV and AIDS, and that this negatively affects girls by depriving them of their childhood and diminishing their opportunities to receive an education, often resulting in their having to head households and increasing their vulnerability to the worst forms of child labour and to sexual exploitation, Noting with concern that an estimated 68 million girls 20 are engaged in child labour and that many of them face the double burden of having to combine economic activities with domestic chores, which deprive them of their childhood and diminish their opportunities to benefit from education and decent employment in the future, Recognizing that the needs of girls vary, according to a number of factors, including their age, and that the risks of violence and discrimination that they face change over their life cycles, from childhood through adolescence, Recognizing also that girl children are often at greater risk of being exposed to and encountering various forms of discrimination and violence, which continue to hinder efforts towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, and reaffirming the need to achieve gender equality to ensure a just and equitable world for girls, including through partnering with men and boys, as an important strategy for advancing the rights of the girl child, Recognizing further that the empowerment of and investment in girls, which is critical for economic growth, and the achievement of all Millennium Development Goals, including the eradication of poverty and extreme poverty, as well as the meaningful participation of girls in decisions that affect them, are key in breaking the cycle of discrimination and violence and in promoting and protecting the full and effective enjoyment of their human rights, and recognizing that empowering girls requires their active participation in decision-making processes and the active support and engagement of their parents, legal guardians, families and care providers, boys and men, as well as the wider community, Deeply concerned about all forms of violence against children, in particular the phenomena that disproportionately affect girls, such as commercial sexual exploitation and child pornography, child, early and forced marriage, rape, sexual abuse, domestic violence and trafficking in persons, and, in addition, about the corresponding lack of accountability and impunity, which reflect discriminatory norms that reinforce the lower status of girls in society, Deeply concerned also that violence against women and girls is underrecognized, particularly at the community level, and underreported or unrecorded as a result of stigma, fear, social tolerance and the often illegal and covert nature of such activities, Deeply concerned further about discrimination against the girl child and the violation of the rights of the girl child, which often result in less access for girls to education, and to quality education, nutrition, including food allocation, and physical and mental health-care services, in girls enjoying fewer of the rights, opportunities and benefits of childhood and adolescence than boys, and in leaving them more vulnerable than boys to the consequences of unprotected and premature sexual relations and often being subjected to various forms of cultural, social, sexual _______________ 20 As stated in the 2013 report of the International Labour Organization on marking progress against child labour and global estimates and trends for the period 2000–2012. 4/13