One of the largest topics at this year’s UN Commission on the Status of Women last month was the incredible importance of education for young girls. There was no shortage of discussions on how to get girls more interested in STEM programs, how to encourage women in the agricultural field, in government and politics, in coding and in the digital world. Discussion after discussion was about the importance of education.
The Holy See and the Catholic Women’s Forum, co-sponsored a panel discussion entitled, “The Education of Rural Girls and Women,” where they discussed the Holy Father’s call for education as a human right. In this discussion, the panel established the importance of education in reducing the dangers of child marriage, sex trafficking and the need for abortion. One panelist in particular said that, “education is a life saving intervention,” particularly in rural areas where women may turn to child-marriage or sex-trafficking as their only options, education is a bright future that presents opportunities and the chance for a better life. The panel discussed at length the need for the education system to thus focus not only on information, but on the formation of the whole person as well.
Likewise, the UK led a discussion entitled, “Educating Girls – The Education Problem,” in which it was discussed, that education is the single most powerful ways to combat health, social, family and sexual abuse issues and is the number one way to empower young women to be active participators in the economy and politics. Thus particularly in fields that have been traditionally male dominated such as tech and the sciences, governments are establishing more inclusive and engaging education to encourage girls as well as boys to actively participate in these fields of study.
However this availability of education to women requires government funds, safe transportation and schools, with boundary walls and proper feminine sanitation facilities. Fearful children cannot learn, and thus governments need to work closely with communities to create environments in which children are safe to get to school and be properly educated. The importance of education requires a commitment to providing a better life for women, especially in rural communities and underdeveloped countries.
About The Contributor
