Global Recovery Depends on Girls

The statistics are painting a difficult picture. The future looks grim. But, as the world takes shelter to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, girls are once again at the highest risk of having their safety, dignity, and rights compromised. Past health crises such as Zika and Ebola have had a disproportionate negative impact on girls and women in developing nations, but our ability to recover—as a global community—hinges on getting girls back into the classroom. We think Malala Yousafzai said it best:

"In a crisis like COVID-19, girls and young women are the first to be removed from school and the last to return. But educated young women are also critical to public health and economic recovery."

 Educating girls benefits everyone. Educated girls have the power to delay marriage, decide how many children they want to have, and are more likely to send those children to school. They have the skills to find work and support their families and tend to reinvest what they make in their communities. In short, educating girls benefits the global economy and is critical in addressing and mitigating climate change.

 Unfortunately, as Malala pointed out, girls are the first to leave school. In a crisis such as this, they have been called on to be caretakers, which puts them at higher risk of contracting the virus. When the COVID-19 threat is finally mitigated, money will be tight, and families will use any available funds to send boy children to school. Girl children, however, will be put to work, married off, or possibly even trafficked—if they haven’t been already.

We can’t allow that to happen. 

Prior to the global outbreak of COVID-19, organizations around the globe were fighting an uphill battle to get girls into classrooms. Even when up against a lack of funding, rigid gender roles, and harsh cultural taboos, headway was being made. It is critical that we not lose our way, even as we feel the trauma, loss, and grief that this crisis has wrought in our own lives.