Gurl power

Today is the UN International Day of the Girl child to recognise girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world. This year’s theme is Empowering Adolescent Girls: Ending the Cycle of Violence. Girls are persecuted, oppressed, stifled and silenced, and in many places girls aren’t allowed to have opinions or a voice. Over 66 million girls around the world are denied an education, simply because they were born a girl. Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai has been brave enough to stand up to extremists and speak about the fight for girls to have an education.

Consider these facts;
1 in 7 girls is married before the age of 15
Every 60 seconds a girl dies giving birth
Girls are persecuted more than any other political or religious group
Around 90% of child workers are girls aged 12-17
Girls are three times more likely to suffer from malnutrition than boys
One in every four girls are sexually abused by the age of 18

Of all the illiterate people in the world today, two-thirds are female and over 90 percent live in developing countries. Educating girls and women is widely acknowledged as the most powerful and effective way to address global poverty. Women who finish secondary school earn more money, have smaller, healthier families, and are more likely to educate their own children, breaking the cycle of illiteracy in one generation.

It doesn’t have to be like this. We can make a difference by donating money to charities like roomtoread.org