One billion. That is the number of girls and women around the world who lack the skills required to succeed in rapidly changing, highly competitive job markets. One. Billion. Think about that for a moment.
In countries across sub-Saharan Africa, girls are two times more likely than boys to grow up without ever setting foot in a classroom. They are not learning how to read, write, or do math, leaving them with no basic skills to improve their lives, safeguard their futures, provide for their families, or make significant contributions to their communities.
The fact that decent education remains out of reach for millions of girls growing up in resource-poor settings should be cause for concern – especially in a world where access to formal education could very well mean the difference between life and death.
This is especially worrying in the wake of Covid-19. The pandemic has revealed just how poorly equipped our health, social and economic systems are to protect adolescent girls from the triple threat of forced marriage, early pregnancy, and HIV infections, all compounded by barriers to education.
In the past two years alone an estimated 11 million girls have been kept from school and may never return, exposing them to harmful practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting. According to Unicef, Covid-19 has put an additional 10 million girls at risk of child, early and forced marriage over the next decade.
In West and Central Africa, there will be 13 million additional child marriages by 2030. When married as children, early pregnancies follow – and these pose serious health risks to young girls whose bodies are too underdeveloped to bear children. Tragically, the complications that arise when children are expected to undergo childbirth are the leading cause of death among girls between the ages of 15 and 19.
Additionally, in many countries in Africa, Covid-19 has created a “shadow pandemic” of domestic violence, reversing decades of progress towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Despite this, one in four countries still do not have any laws protecting women and girls from domestic violence, sending the message that violence against women is permissible.
We owe it to the world’s girls to do better. We owe it to them to break the cycle of oppression and generational poverty that are a direct result of poor education and limited health and economic opportunities.
As we commemorate the 10th anniversary of the International Day of the Girl, which will be celebrated from October 2022 to October 2023, we implore leaders in every sphere and at every level to acknowledge the plight of the 600 million adolescent girls around the world whose futures are at risk from systemic discrimination and inequality.
We call on them to move beyond the rhetoric and invest in protecting a future that is every day threatened by the heavy hand of patriarchy, which restricts girls and women from participating in classrooms and boardrooms through the entrenchment of harmful stereotypes and misogyny masked as culture that serves to “keep girls in their place”.
If we are to reap the full benefits of an empowered generation of girls and young women, we must direct more resources towards breaking the barriers that disempower them. Unlocking their talents and giving them equal opportunities to use their skills meaningfully is a sure way to address the global challenges of unemployment, poverty, hunger and inequality that affect us all.
For every dollar invested in girls' rights and education, developing nations could see a nearly three-fold return of $2.80 (Sh339).
Furthermore, investing in pathways to leadership for adolescent girls, allowing them to participate in decision-making regarding the issues that affect their ability to thrive, will empower them to use their voices to drive change.
When young girls are educated, they are more likely to participate in the formal economy, earn higher incomes, plan their families – including if, when and how many children to have – and provide better healthcare and other opportunities for their dependants.
By giving them the basic tools they need to flourish and comfortably slip into leadership roles, we can reap the benefits of greater economic, social and political progress for all.
Surviving the worst pandemic in modern history gives us all another opportunity to re-examine our approach to the empowerment of girls and women. We have another chance to rethink our actions; to create a generation of leaders that is not just cognisant of the needs of girls and women, but inclusive of them. We have a billion reasons to make sure we do not waste it.
Obudho is East Africa and Global Health Integration director, WomenLift Health
Dr Sabarwal is South Asia Region and Global Monitoring, Learning and Evaluation director, WomenLift Health
