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IN THIS ISSUE Young people speak out about discrimination against girls, girls in vulnerable situations, and ideas for protecting and empowering girls. Discrimination "Especially in developing countries, girls have less access to education or no education at all. It all goes back to gender relations where the role of women is considered unproductive and not appreciated by society.” girl, >21, Uganda. Vulnerable situations "Children do not start wars. Yet they are most vulnerable to its deadly effects. Millions of innocent children die in conflicts, which is of no fault of theirs - just because some greedy leaders rob powers with the barrel of the gun." girl, 17, Ghana. Protection "Parents must bring up their girls as an asset not a liability. They must give her equal rights, opportunities and privileges as the male child." girl, 17, India. Empowerment "The girl child has been ill-treated for long but with our generation I believe that as you cry out loud and advocate for gender equality you will be emancipated. Hold on girl child and fear not, for justice and equality is coming our way. As a boy I believe in equality." boy, 20, Zimbabwe. How you can use this newsletter Every second month, Voices of Youth, UNICEF's interactive website for young people, distributes a newsletter to bring attention to the thoughts, reflections and suggestions for action on a particular issue for priority development as put forth by young people on Voices of Youth 's discussion boards. The objective of What Young People Are Saying is to further links between programming and the concerns of today's youth. By providing easy to navigate summaries, relevant quotations, and suggested action points, What Young People Are Saying offers an additional means of connecting with young people globally and interweaving their concerns with UNICEF's priorities and objectives.