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Quality, safe education and empowerment is a long term solution to ending sexual violence, says Plan
AS the world’s attention focuses on the issue of sexual violence and forced marriage, Plan International is addressing long term solutions with a major African Union event in Ethiopia.
The leading rights charity is advocating for increased governmental spend on quality education as a way to empower women and girls against abuse.
The topic has reached the limelight this week as actress and UN envoy Angelina Jolie heads a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict in London.
Children from all over Africa are gathering in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa to tell governments on Monday that it is time to act on education.
“Sexual abuse and violence against women will only stop in the long term if we empower women to break through the barriers they face,” said Emily Laurie, Global Advocacy Manager for Plan’s Because I am a Girl campaign.
“Education empowers women to reach further and fight for their rights. Yet currently, there are currently 65 million girls who are out of primary and secondary school.
"Even girls who are in school are not getting a quality education, and face the risk of rape and exploitation on a daily basis. This is just not acceptable and we need more investment in education, now.”
Children from Sierra Leone, Egypt, Malawi, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso, Norway, Liberia, Kenya and Germany stage the takeover of the African Union building on Monday 16th June 2014.
The young people will call on governments across the world to deliver on their commitments to education and raise their domestic spend to 20 per cent*.
The average spend on education worldwide is currently 14.4 per cent* of domestic spend.
Among the young people is a former child bride from Sierra Leone, who will tell ministers that quality education is the only way to prevent violence against women and bring change.
Christiana*, 17, from Sierra Leone, a sub-Saharan country where average spend on education per year was 3.6 per cent of GDP in 2012, escaped a forced marriage and is now back in school.
She said: “Governments need to pay attention to more vulnerable girls who want to stay in school, give us trained and qualified teachers, more female teachers in the school to motivate girls and create safe places to learn.”
The event kicks off ten days of campaigning called #10DaysToAct that continues until June 26th, when all governments around the world will be asked to pledge their commitment to education at the Global Partnership for Education pledging conference in Brussels.
Africa has the highest rate of girls out of school, and girls who have not completed primary education, in the world.
Fifty-two per cent of out-of-school children live in sub-Saharan Africa, a region where four out of five girls receive no formal education.
The problem doesn’t end with getting children into school, as barriers to learning can include poor teaching, ‘unofficial’ school fees, lack of materials, unsafe learning spaces and teacher abuse.
Globally, there are also 250million children in school but not learning, due to lack of quality education.
Girls are especially vulnerable to rape, exploitation, coercion and discrimination perpetrated by students and teachers, with consequences including unwanted pregnancies, poor performance at school and high dropout rates.
It is hoped that the ${esc.dollar}{esc.hash}10DaysToAct event will encourage governments in Africa to focus on the problem and support the educational needs of future generations.
“Educated girls are more likely to reinvest their income back into the family, community and country, and more likely to understand their rights and be forces for change,” said Plan International’s CEO Nigel Chapman.
“When you invest in a girl you really do invest in the future.”
*UNESCO
*Christiana’s name has been changed to protect her identity
