Ensuring Female Primary Education: Protecting the Students
The United Nations has published new work (cited in Al Jazeera) documenting various human rights abuses against girls that have been working towards going to school. Many girls have been threatened and targeted by those that are unhappy with the girls receiving an education. The report is entitled “Attacks Against Girls Seeking To Access Education.”
Sadly there are many reports of girls being attacked for voicing the important of education. One of the most noted cases is that of Nobel Prize winner Malala Yousafzai, was was shot by the Taliban over her demands for schooling. However, this is far from the only case; Somalia terror organization al-Shabab physically removed girls from school in the year 2010 (Al Jazeera, 2015). The United Nations report states that “more than 3,600 separate attacks against educational institutions, teachers and students were reported in 2012 alone…” (in Al Jazeera, 2015).
They also point out that “During some armed conflicts, girls have been abducted and forcibly recruited into the armed forces precisely because of their education. For example, the Lords’ Resistance Army targeted secondary school girls in northern Uganda as their superior literacy and numeracy made them valuable recruits for military communications work. Importantly, however, ‘This pattern of targeting educated girls underscores the challenges faced by many women and girls who return from captivity hoping to regain the benefits of earlier education.’60 The same difficulties may be encountered by many of the Nigerian schoolgirls abducted from Chibok by the Boko Haram if they are eventually able to return.” (UN, 2015).
This is an excellent report, and one in which I urge people to read.
In my forthcoming book entitled “Human Rights and Universal Child Primary Education,” I spend time talking about the various difficulties facing access to education, which include safety issues (such as issues related to child soldiers). In addition, when schools are not safe, it can become very difficult for children to get to school, let alone to focus on studies.
It is critical that we speak up and demand that children be given the human right to education. This is essential for the individual. Education is so important for the person, the family, and for society as a whole. There are numerous studies showing the positive effects of education. And when it does not happen, when girls are discriminated against, then this harms not only themselves, but the rest of society as well.
Again, we must advocate for complete human rights for women and everyone, which includes free primary education, in an environment that is safe and fully conducive to learning.
