Girls are bullied more often than boys—30 percent of girls experience it, compared to 22 percent of boys. Students who identify their gender in any other way have it worst of all, and are twice as likely as their peers to be bullied.

“We were horrified by the violence we saw against the minor girls. In many cases, oxytocin injections were given to make the girls look older and voluptuous. Taught by our parents to always respect and protect women, all three of us decided to set up an organization to combat violence against women. We wanted to become a voice for the unheard and amplify the issues to bring about change.”

When Mustehsan talks, girls who idolise her tend to listen because she chooses serious topics that resonate with them. She encourages young women to believe in their own beauty without the manipulations of mobile filter apps, and is known to take on trolls who question women's rights to move freely in public spaces with sharp repartees.

What's perplexing about this trend is that this generation of girls has the most choices and potential than any other generation before them. It's natural to assume that this expansive freedom of choice should lead to greater happiness, yet girls today seem to be unhappier than ever. This paradox begins to make sense when we consider the impact of our fast-paced, hyper-stimulating culture and the role of social media, which has been proven to promote low self-worth and negative body image. We need to understand both the causes of perfectionism, and how to navigate it in a healthier way.

A new book, Pushout: the Criminalization of Black Girls in Schools by Monique Morris, highlights the disproportionate levels of punishment meted out to black schoolgirls, who make up 16% of female students but more than one-third of all girls with a school-related arrest. I always got straight As ... yet my teachers perceived anything I did as being really aggressive, really angry Yewande Adeniran The reasons are complex, but may be linked to recent research by Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality, which found that adults view black girls as “less innocent” and “more adult-like” than their white peers.

A female high school student who had the best score at a boys’ golf tournament in Massachusetts has been denied the trophy because she’s a girl. Lunenburg High School student Emily Nash’s score of 75 at the Central Massachusetts Division 3 boys’ golf tournament was better than the runner-up. But Nash wasn’t awarded first place and won’t advance to next week’s state tournament because of a rule set by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association. The rule states that girls playing on a fall boys’ team can’t be entered in the Boys Fall Individual Tournament.

"The study found that girls are more disadvantaged in co-ed classes because of factors such as boys' disruptive behaviour or a teacher's attention being diverted to boys," Ms Bridge said. "But boys are also disadvantaged, contrary to commonly held belief that boys do better in co-ed environment, boys' academic performance also suffers in a co-ed environment."

A self-titled “young girls’ club” has fixed the street lights, completed a health audit of the village and ensured that mobile clinics visit Thennamadevi. A library is being built where well-thumbed books promote the virtues of learning and independence. The phenomenon of teenage female self-help has made aid agencies and politicians across the state sit up and take notice.

Casal’s club is inclusive. “These guys and girls here — even though they are of different ages or abilities, when they come here, none of that matters, We’re all in it together,” he continues, his eyes still on the group. Champion’s built at Casal’s are both male and female, of varying ages, ethnicities and capabilities and come from a wide variety of backgrounds. There is no sense of shyness, arrogance or ego present, just a comfortable respect for one another. “They challenge themselves and learn what can happen if you work hard and the best part is, look at them,” he said, pointing to the ring, a boyish grin on his face. “It’s hard, really hard and they still have fun doing it.”

“These girls didn’t need to be corrected,” Cornyn tells OZY. “It was about how other people were treating them.” And how others perceived them. But now Cornyn is letting the girls speak for themselves, through their writing, images and recorded interviews. “These girls’ stories had been left in the dust of history. No one would have known about them,” says Cornyn. “I wanted them to get the recognition that they should have had.”

Girls who played last year, like Bay Shore High School linebacker Cayleigh Kunnmann, have noticed a subtle shift. There will always be detractors, or those who think the sport is no place for a girl, they said, but that seems to be becoming less of a deterrent for female athletes. “I think a lot of girls are seeing, not only women in football, but women in all of kinds of male-dominated fields and just gaining a lot more confidence and knowing that they can do it,” said Kunnmann, a senior.