SOURCE: Tunis Afrique Presse

One in five girls in Tunisia fails to graduate from middle school and four out of ten drop out of secondary school, United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) figures show.

The number of female mid and secondary school graduates, UNICEF said on International Day of the Girl Child (October 11), still exceeds boys'.

Actually, three out of ten Tunisian boys fail to terminate their mid-school studies. Six fall short of finishing secondary school education.

UNICEF said Wednesday in a statement girls are entitled to the opportunity to grow, learn, and realize their full potential.

The UN agency also said "Globally, girls aged 5-14 spend 160 million more hours every day on unpaid care and domestic work than boys of the same age. This unequal distribution in unpaid work intensifies adolescence with serious implications for girls' well-being."

"'This year, when we are seeing a range of movements and actions to curtail girls' and women's rights and roll back progress on gender equality, we see particularly harsh impacts on girls," the United Nations said.

It also urged the international community to invest in women's leadership roles to support their rights and promote their welfare.

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