More Than Social Justice

By Matthew Brennan, World Vision

“There is no tool for development more effective than the education of girls and the empowerment of women.” – Former U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

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World Vision is on mission to create a protective environment around children, not just so that they survive but also thrive in their communities. Our work aims to provide for the physical, emotional and psychological needs of the most vulnerable children.

Millions of children around the world are vulnerable to a wide variety of hazards and obstacles to their well-being — abuse and exploitation, dirty drinking water, poor nutrition, lack of education, to name a few — and among the most vulnerable are girls.

Why?

A few examples …

When communities lack access to clean water, it is often the girls who have to walk miles to fetch water, a journey that keeps them out of school (along with the water-borne illnesses that they get from the dirty water).

Only 30% of girls worldwide attend secondary school, and 64% of the world’s illiterate adults are women. [UNESCO]

When girls aren’t educated, their economic prospects are severely limited. In many countries, marriage is seen as the most viable future for a girl.

Nearly 1 in 5 girls in developing countries become pregnant before the age of 18. [World Bank]

About 50% of sexual assaults are committed against girls under the age of 16. [International Women's Day 2014]

Children as young as 11 are forced to work in the sex industry with 20% of the 27 million people believed to be trafficked being children. [UNODC; U.S. State Department]

Addressing gender inequality around the world is a matter of social justice and doing what’s right, but it’s much more than that, too.

Dr. Gary Darmstadt, senior fellow for the Gates Foundation’s Global Development Programme, writes: “The marginalisation and neglect of the needs, roles and potential of women and girls are key factors limiting advances in human health and development outcomes for all … Investing in women’s and girls’ empowerment is a smart investment for overall development as well as a matter of social justice.”

Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the U.N., said last March:

"Rural women number almost half a billion smallholder farmers and landless workers. If they had equal access to productive resources, agricultural yields would rise, relieving as many as 150 million people from hunger."

2015 is the year for us to step up our commitment to addressing gender inequality, to empowering women, and to working to protect the most vulnerable girls around the world.

Girls are too often the victims of injustice.

Stand with us against gender-based violence. Against early marriage. Against illiteracy. Against dirty water. Against sex trafficking and exploitation and child labour.

Every girl deserves a bright future.

• Sponsor a girl in need: Sponsorship makes a long-term investment in the life of a girl, her family, and her community, providing greater access to life-giving basics like nutritious food, clean water, medical care, and education -- the foundation for a future of independence and hope.
• Join World Vision at one of our Girl Rising events: Our Girl Rising events help raise awareness of the importance of investing in the lives of girls around the world. Girl Rising is the critically acclaimed movie that is spearheading a global campaign fighting for the right of all girls to an education. It features the stories of 4 girls from 4 countries and is narrated by a number of award winning stars including Meryl Streep, Anne Hathaway, and Cate Blanchett.
Look out for an event in your county soon. For more information on scheduled events please call 01 498 0800.Join World Vision at one of our Girl Rising events: Our Girl Rising events help raise awareness of the importance of investing in the lives of girls around the world. Look out for an event in your county soon. For more information on scheduled events please call 01 498 0800
• Share our VISION: Be a part of our Girl Rising campaign and share this message with the world. Use Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Google+ and Pinterest to spread the word. Let’s educate the world by educating girls.

Raise your voice and let others know how important it is to educate and invest in the lives of girls.