"The ways of injuring a child are infinite, while the ways of being useful to them are few... the slightest mistrust, the smallest unkindness, the least act of injustice or contemptuous ridicule, leave wounds that last for life in the finely strung soul of the child..."
In 1900 social theorist Ellen Key published her prescient manifesto on the future of childhood; Key recognized the importance of centering the child, not just privately but also publicly; within education, care provisions and society more broadly.
If the 20th century was the century of the child -- with the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of the Child by the League of Nations in 1924 as both the crescendo of contemporary thought and the starting point for all future debate and actions, including granting permanent status to UNICEF in 1953 and adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 -- then the 21st century must be the century of the international girl child. There is no denying that given the current state of the world's girls, we would be forgiven for being dubious of such a statement.
A report on Girls Education published by Plan International in 2012 showed that only 74 percent of the world's girls aged between 11 and 15 are in education, compared to 83 percent of boys. Even more worryingly, though there is variation from country to country, where girls aged 10-14 are not in education large proportions -- over 80 percent in Nigeria -- will never have entered formal education. In fact the report suggests that in rural parts of Nigeria a girl can expect to receive less than three years of formal education, rising to 6 years for the same wealth class in urban areas. It is a tragic truth that household income also plays a big part in accessing education and I am an active supporter of the work being done by Sarah and Gordon Brown with the Global Business Coalition for Education to campaign for universal access to education.
However, this is the century in which a young girl defied threats to her education, survived an attempt on her life and became a global advocate for girls' education, inspiring adults and children the world over. Malala Yousafzai is an inspiration to millions.
This the century that brought us Lean In, the SPARK Movement, the Girl Effect and Girls Who Code.
This is the century that has seen women such as Angela Ahrendts, Arianna Huffington, Marissa Mayers and Sheryl Sandberg blaze into the spotlight and raise the global profile of career women.
This is the century that launched the first ever Girl Summit.
In 1900 social theorist Ellen Key published her prescient manifesto on the future of childhood; Key recognized the importance of centering the child, not just privately but also publicly; within education, care provisions and society more broadly.
If the 20th century was the century of the child -- with the adoption of the Declaration on the Rights of the Child by the League of Nations in 1924 as both the crescendo of contemporary thought and the starting point for all future debate and actions, including granting permanent status to UNICEF in 1953 and adopting the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1989 -- then the 21st century must be the century of the international girl child. There is no denying that given the current state of the world's girls, we would be forgiven for being dubious of such a statement.
A report on Girls Education published by Plan International in 2012 showed that only 74 percent of the world's girls aged between 11 and 15 are in education, compared to 83 percent of boys. Even more worryingly, though there is variation from country to country, where girls aged 10-14 are not in education large proportions -- over 80 percent in Nigeria -- will never have entered formal education. In fact the report suggests that in rural parts of Nigeria a girl can expect to receive less than three years of formal education, rising to 6 years for the same wealth class in urban areas. It is a tragic truth that household income also plays a big part in accessing education and I am an active supporter of the work being done by Sarah and Gordon Brown with the Global Business Coalition for Education to campaign for universal access to education.
However, this is the century in which a young girl defied threats to her education, survived an attempt on her life and became a global advocate for girls' education, inspiring adults and children the world over. Malala Yousafzai is an inspiration to millions.
This the century that brought us Lean In, the SPARK Movement, the Girl Effect and Girls Who Code.
This is the century that has seen women such as Angela Ahrendts, Arianna Huffington, Marissa Mayers and Sheryl Sandberg blaze into the spotlight and raise the global profile of career women.
This is the century that launched the first ever Girl Summit.
Held in London recently, the Summit programme was filled with influential speakers including Malala Yousafzai, Dr Jaldesa Guyo, Saria Khalifa and Anthony Lake and hosted by UK Home Secretary Theresa May MP and Secretary for International Development Justine Greening MP. As a recent signatory of the Girl Declaration following the panel I hosted in Lagos titled 'Our Future: This is the moment to invest in girls', I am deeply committed to ensuring the safe and successful, happy and healthy future of the girl child. Global migration has turned issues such as FGM and child marriage into international concerns and assaults upon the education of the girl child, upon her mental and physical health and upon her fundamental rights are a daily occurrence.
The commitments made by governments, NGOs and the private sector following the Girl Summit 2014 show that this is a matter now being taken seriously by the international community. There are many ways to bring about change and it is encouraging to see that everyone has recognized that they are able to play a part.The 21st century is the century for the girl child; the 21st century is our chance to get it right..
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