POVERTY, teenage pregnancies and a lower life expectancy are among the factors that make Middlesbrough the worst place in the country for girls to live, a report says.

The study, published today (Monday, September 12) by global children’s charity Plan International UK uses five key indicators to produce a picture of the quality of life girls within each local authority area in the country.

It ranks areas according to child poverty, female life expectancy, teenage pregnancy, girls’ GCSE results and girls Not in Education, Employment, or Training (NEETs).

Ranked across these indicators, Middlesbrough scored worst overall, performing particularly badly in terms of female life expectancy, female NEETs, and teenage pregnancy.

Just above Middlesbrough making up the bottom five in ascending order are Blackpool, Manchester, Nottingham and Liverpool.

The top place for girls' quality of life is Waverley in Surrey.

Lucy Russell, Plan International UK campaign manager and report co-author, said: “Girls in Middlesbrough are facing harassment in schools, they don’t feel safe online and they’re scared every day on the street.

“Despite living in one of the most developed countries on earth, too many girls in the UK don’t enjoy their rights.

“The UK is failing girls, and Middlesbrough is very much part of that trend.”

Plan International UK is launching The State of Girls’ Rights in the UK as part of its flagship Because I am a Girl campaign to tackle gender inequality.

The charity is calling for a six-point action plan to progress girls’ rights across the UK – and Girls’ Rights Champions to be appointed at national, devolved and local levels.

The report also draws on interviews from girls all around the UK – shining a light on daily discrimination, harassment, abuse and expectations of how girls should look and behave.

Girls are subjected to high levels of violence, even at school, with one in five UK women reporting an experience of sexual abuse during their education.

While girls perform better than boys at school, their experiences are often reinforcing stereo-types and precluding them from choosing certain subjects and careers.

The online world amplifies issues faced by girls, meanwhile, with huge pressures on how they should look and behave.

“Only by providing parents, teachers and pupils with the right training and support will we ensure schools become part of the solution rather than the problem,” said Ms Russell.