Today, December 10, was chosen to honor the United Nations General Assembly’s adoption and proclamation in 1948, of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR), the first global declaration of human rights. I am honoring this day by announcing a series of posts about women and girls around the world.
We all can agree that investment in girls’ education makes simple economic sense. Here are facts that support this:
- Babies born to mothers without formal education are twice as likely to die before age five.
- The same babies are four times more likely to be malnourished.
- The fertility rate of women without education is, on average, 60 per cent higher than the rate of those who attended secondary school.
- Uneducated women are more vulnerable to HIV.
Most international institutions and organizations agree that empowering women and girls is the best way to solve world problems and eradicate poverty. In the following weeks we will give snapshots of the status of women’s and girls’ rights in different corners of the globe. Please stay tuned and give us your feedback!
“Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing.”
–Arundhati Roy, Indian novelist, essayist and activist who focuses on issues related to social justice and economic inequality
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