the effects are particularly salient for girls by their th birthday per cent of girls around the world are already mothers who while per cent are married by age unicef adolescent girls and young women are one of the groups most severely affected by hiv unaids and although gender gaps in access to primary education are closing girls continue to be disadvantaged unesco these outcomes call for a strong focus on adolescent wellbeing in policies and programmes and are supported by a growing body of literature that recognizes adolescence as a critical phase for achieving human potential patton et al