International Day of the Girl Child
Social sciences can and must contribute to improving the lives of girls. Their ultimate purpose is not only to understand social reality but also to transform it. While natural sciences openly aim to cure diseases or protect the planet, social sciences must also make explicit their goal of building safer environments for everyone —especially for girls who still face sexual abuse, discrimination and fear. For that transformation to be real, scientific knowledge must meet three essential conditions: rigour, social impact and commitment.
Rigour means that every conclusion must be based on verifiable evidence, not on ideology or convenience. Research cannot serve particular interests or silence uncomfortable results. When scientists abandon evidence to protect reputations or privileges, science loses both its credibility and its power to change the world. Rigour is therefore the first guarantee of social transformation: without it, there is only discourse.
Social impact is the second condition. Knowledge that remains in academic journals, disconnected from people’s lives, fails its purpose. Research in the social sciences must co-create knowledge with communities and contribute to overcoming inequalities. It must identify the mechanisms that allow girls to grow up in environments free from sexual violence, that prevent isolation after reporting abuse, and that ensure education systems respond with protection instead of silence. Theories gain meaning only when they improve daily life —when they prevent violence, foster inclusion or create safer environments for girls. The value of science is not measured by citations but by lives improved.
Commitment and courage are the conditions that give meaning to the other two. Many professionals remain silent in the face of injustice because they know the personal cost of taking a stand. Commitment is not about posting statements on social media or signing petitions; it means taking a real stand beside the victims, especially those closest to us. There is no value in condemning injustices far away while ignoring the silence or inaction that harms those nearby. Only a few, aware of the risks, choose to defend the victims of gender-based violence and confront the silence that protects abuse. They are the most committed scientists and professionals, the ones whose integrity has opened the path to a world where girls can grow free from fear. Their courage deserves recognition and protection, because protecting those who protect others is also part of building a fairer society.
Science cannot remain indifferent. Every day, not just on international days, we must remember that the future of the girl child depends on the kind of science we choose to promote.
Associate Professor at University of Granada