Girls' Rights Collective UK - Girls Friendly Society %

Bringing together members of the UK girls’ sector to make girls’ rights a reality.

What is the Girls’ Rights Network?

The Girls’ Rights Collective UK, exists to bring together professionals, volunteers, sector experts and organisations to share best practice, advocate for change and create a better UK for girls and young women.

In 2016, Plan International UK launched the Girls’ Rights Network after their report ‘The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK‘ found that, despite living in one of the richest countries in the world, girls across the UK were being denied their rights and often didn’t feel safe at school, in the street or online.

Though nearly a decade has passed since then, research shows that very little progress has been made. At the start of 2025, GFS became the new hosts of the Girls’ Rights Collective.

At the same time, we published our own report on issues girls are facing, in girls’ own words. In ‘Girls Speak‘, girls drew a picture of girlhood in conflict, between the feminist ideals they’re taught and believed, and the gendered reality of their daily lives.

But girls are determined to make change happen – and we’re here to support them.

Our members are professionals, organisations, and advocates from across the girls’ rights sector, including youth workers, educators, policy experts, NGOs, researchers, and community-based organisations, all committed to creating lasting change for girls and young women in the UK.

What does the Girls’ Rights Collective UK stand for?

For the Girls’ Rights Collective to be truly impactful, we believe it is important that all members share a common set of values. These values guide our work, shape our collaborations, and ensure that we are collectively striving for meaningful, lasting change in the girls’ rights sector.

Below are some examples of ‘We Believe’ statements that reflect our core principles:

We believe in the inherent strength and potential of girls and young women: We support their right to have a voice in shaping their future and advocate for the opportunities and resources they need to thrive.
We believe it’s not girls’ responsibility to change the world: We want to connect others to create change around them. Girls should not have to bear the burden of fixing inequalities. Instead, we focus on mobilising professionals, organisations, and communities to drive systemic change.
We believe in the power of community, and in fostering collaboration, not competition: Progress happens when we work together. Together, we can build networks of support, understanding, and solidarity among girls, young women, and the organisations that work alongside them. The GRC is a space where members share resources, knowledge, and opportunities.
We believe in fostering a culture of inclusion: The GRC is committed to ensuring that everyone, regardless of background, experience, or identity, feels welcomed, valued, and supported in their work towards girls’ rights.

What do you get access to as part of the Girls’ Rights Collective?

As part of the GRC, you gain access to our bi-monthly themed webinars driven by member input, annual summit, peer led discussions, newsletters, forums, online engagement spaces, resources, and much more!

Our next webinar is on Exploring Primary Prevention of Gender-Based Violence. The session will run on Wednesday, May 7, from 11am – 12pm, and is free to all who wish to attend. Simply signup via Eventbrite to claim your free ticket!

Interested in joining? We’re building our signup form right now, but you don’t have to wait! Just email Fahma@gfs.org.uk to join us today.