Ten million girls are at risk of forced marriage

Arriving at university is when they make the leap

Rights and Pandemic

Monica Batan, co-founder of Wanawake, an NGO that fights to protect the women’s right to education As the main formula for achieving a better future, he explains that “when they get to university, they make the leap” because it allows them to leave “the informal economy they are destined for, thus guaranteeing their personal and professional development “.

Batan also draws attention to the huge number of child pregnancies that occurred during the pandemic and detention. Something that stops girls’ opportunities in the bud.

It also highlights another of the scourges that affect them: “Female genital mutilation continues to affect more than 200 million girls and women worldwide.”

Something the UN also points out: “COVID-19 worsened the burden existing for them and eroded the important gains made in the last decade. Batán also highlights its impact, noting that “another two million of them will be subject to this practice [mutilación genital femenina] over the next decade.”

According to the international organization, “the girls of the world continue to face unprecedented challenges in terms of their education, physical and mental well-being and the protection needed to live a life free of violence.’

They continue to be the ones driving progress in their communities

Carry on

That doesn’t mean you should give up. As the United Nations reminds us, “disasters often bring with them ingenuity, creativity, tenacity and resilience. 600 million adolescent girls around the world have proven time and time again that with the skills and opportunities, they themselves they can be the ones driving progress in their communitiesrebuilding a stronger future for all that includes women, girls, boys and men’.

However, there is still a long way to go. The UN reminds us that “almost half of primary schools in the least developed countries do not have single-sex toilets — an important factor in girls’ attendance — and more than two-thirds have no electricity.’

Not only that, they are too the main victims of sexual exploitation (72% of the detected cases), while children are mostly involved in forced labor (66%).

Gender gaps and the underrepresentation of women in STEM careers widen the gap

Technology and barriers

Technology also exacerbates differences. According to UN data, “ The gender gap among internet users around the world is widening, from 11% in 2013 to 17% in 2019; and is wider in the least developed countries of the world, where it reaches 43%”.

Furthermore, “globally, the percentage of women graduating in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) is less than 15% in more than two-thirds of countries.

Changes

To change course, the institution proposes to generate behavioral models: “Share human interest stories, blogs and videos of girls making a difference; and the inspiring networks and organizations that provide them with resources – thereby encouraging them to lead – and validate services for them.” In this way, we will be able to expand “their leadership power, the actions they take and their impact to inspire others’.

It is also necessary to engage “government officials, politicians and stakeholders for implementation more targeted investments that address inequalities“.

It also ensures that it is accurate engage “influential women across all sectors so that they become the face of change that we want girls to see as possible. Role models are worth a thousand words. Let’s change the global conversation and public perception of girl leaders.”

An example

“The modern world kills hundreds of thousands of girls every year at birth, with no one to answer them. Millions of girls are raped every day around the world from an early age without the powerful cry: Stop! Dominic Seagoa French journalist and writer who has just published a book entitled The Curse of Being a Girl.

Sigo participated today in an event organized by the NGOs Entreculturas, Mundo Cooperante and Save The Children to “raise the sensitivity of the population about the practices that today carried out with impunity on all continents“,

That’s why today is a good day to remember that “girls are well equipped to move forward into the next decade. The time has come to be accountable to and with them and let’s invest in a future that believes in their organizational capacity, their leadership and their potential,” as the UN says.