In a NY Times’ Op-Ed article earlier this week, the United
Nations secretary general’s special envoy for global education and former
British Prime Minister, Gordon Brown, shared his thoughts on the state of the U.N.’s
Millenium Development Goal pushing for universal education of girls by 2015. He
was moved by the story of Malala Yousafzai – a Pakistani girl murdered by gun
fire while riding to school on the bus last October. Friends of Malala, Kainat
Riaz and Shazia Ramzan, have shared testimony with Brown which has emboldened
him to work towards getting countries back on track to meet the challenge of
achieving the goal.
Ban Ki-moon, secretary general of the U.N., and Jim Yong
Kim, president of the World Bank, will be meeting “with countries that are
off-track to discuss the legislation, incentives, reforms – and money – needed to
speed up the enrollment of girls in schools.” Brown is hoping that sharing
testimonies will assist in the process. Pakistani girls are ready and willing to
stand up against the injustices at hands of the Taliban. They are ready to
battle for their rights. According to Kainat, girls used to hide their school books
under their burqas. Today, she says, “I want to study. I am not afraid.”
Pakistan is not the only country facing major violence and
other impediments against educating its women. In countries like Morocco and
Bangladesh, girls face fears of child-marriage, child trafficking, and
governmental betrayal. However, there is a 20th century backlash
against these corrupt and heinous practices that is gaining steam. Families are
beginning to speak up for their children and governments are creating “child-marriage-free-zones.”
Fair and equal treatment of women has been a worldwide struggle, but
initiatives like the Millennium Development Goal are a step in the right
direction.
Jeff
Chilcott
4/12/13
3:12PM
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