On October 11, the world observed the International Day of Girls: a day dedicated to raising awareness of the serious issues facing the world's 1.1 billion girls, and promoting their empowerment. It's an enormous issue–one that requires our attention far beyond that single day.
Each year, about 246 million children are harassed and abused either at or on their way to school. Girls are disproportionately affected, a reality that curbs their academic lives and makes it more likely they will drop out. But things are slowly changing: fully twenty-five million child marriages have been prevented, just in the past ten years.
These two things–ending child marriage, and working to make sure that all girls complete their secondary education–are crucial steps toward progress for women worldwide, and for society as a whole. In fact, it's estimated that universal secondary education for girls could increase global human capital by up to $30 trillion.
To learn more, check out the recent feature on the Good Men Project website.
Posted on 12/09/2019 at 09:47 AM