Equality for Afghan Women Remains a Critical Goal for President Ghani

By Mayesha Alam

Originally featured in Global Post here.

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Afghanistan is at a crossroads. After taking office in a close election last year, President Ashraf Ghani has struggled to form a government and build a solid partnership with his political rival, Abdullah Abdullah, who was appointed chief executive officer in a power-sharing compromise.

Ghani ran as a reform candidate. He promised to reform policies, institutions and public discourse. On the key issue of women’s rights, he is trying to live up to his pledge.

After a woman was beaten and set on fire for allegedly desecrating the Quran, President Ghani ordered an investigation. He said, “No individual is allowed to make oneself a judge and use violence to punish others.”

An arrest in the case was an important signal his government would no longer tolerate violence against women or pursuing vigilante justice in the name of Islam.

On March 21, the eve of his first official visit to the United States, President Gahni announced 16 new cabinet nominees that included four women. This encouraging step is in line with an earlier commitment to appointing women in senior level positions of government.

The president invited a group of prominent Afghan women to join his official delegation to Washington, including Dr. Sima Samar, chairperson of the Independent Afghan Human Rights Commission; Dr. Habiba Sarabi, first female governor of a province; Nargis Nehan, founder and head of women’s civil society organization called Equality for Peace and Democracy; and Kamila Sadiqi, an entrepreneur and business owner profiled in Gayle Lemmon’s best-selling book The Dressmaker of Khair Khana.

These respected, pioneering Afghan women leaders served as advisers during President Ghani’s trip and help keep women’s empowerment squarely on the agenda.

Rula Ghani, the president’s wife, has been a crucial ally and spokesperson in the government’s outreach to women. On a visit to Washington in February, she explained how she sees herself as a “listener.” She has pledged to hear the grievances of ordinary Afghans, especially women, to enable her to help devise solutions on issues such as unemployment or access to basic services.

This is a remarkable turn of events. Mrs. Ghani’s public leadership stands in stark contrast to that of her predecessor, Zeenat Karzai, who was rarely seen and did not campaign for her husband.

Mrs. Ghani’s words and actions are sanctioned by the new president. He has supported her participation in international conferences where she has repeatedly spoken on the need for women’s empowerment in Afghanistan. With his encouragement, Mrs. Ghani has created new initiatives to connect Afghan women and youth to resources that can improve their lives.

Her messages have been sensitive to local culture. She has sought to inspire Afghan citizens participate in civic action. She routinely refers to historical examples of Muslim women leaders, including from the time of Prophet Muhammad, which makes it difficult for naysayers to accuse her of espousing Western or un-Islamic beliefs and traditions.

She is highly educated, dignified and charming. She is creating a model for young Afghan women who are trying to find their own voices.

President Ghani’s rhetoric and recent actions, along with his wife’s public persona, provide reasons for cautious optimism about the government’s commitment to women’s rights.

It is clear, however, that the ultimate measure of progress will be access to higher education for common Afghan women, freedom to exercise their productive potential in the formal economy, hold leadership positions in government and civil society and participate in the all-crucial peace process.

As anticipation rises for the prospect of negotiations with the Taliban, a fundamental question remains: what about Afghan women and girls? Will their rights be bargained away in a peace arrangement with the Taliban? Will they be invited to share their perspectives as part of the dialogue and hold decision-making positions?

In February, Mrs. Ghani said, “If peace and reconciliation with the Taliban happens, you can be sure that women won’t lose their rights…My husband won’t allow that.” But, she also acknowledged, “Whether or not women will be at the table, I don’t know.”

The High Peace Council is currently comprised of 61 men and only nine women. Moreover, the daily insecurity that women face — especially in rural and remote areas where they continue to be marginalized — is an issue of grave concern.  Women must be safe and free in their homes, in their communities and beyond to live as full and equal citizens.

The simple reality is that Afghanistan cannot move forward if half its population is left behind. The well being of the Afghan women — including the protection of their rights as well participation in political and socioeconomic life — will be vital to ensuring democracy and prosperity.

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Mayesha Alam is the Associate Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the author of Women and Transitional Justice: Progress and Persistent Challenges. 

Women’s Equality Isn’t a Zero Sum Game. It’s Vital for Peace and Prosperity.

By Ambassador Melanne Verveer and Mayesha Alam

Originally posted in The Guardian here.

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There is a plethora of data which demonstrates that women’s economic participation grows economies, creates jobs and builds inclusive prosperity. As essential as women’s equality is for growth, it is often stymied by discriminatory laws, customs, and structural barriers that restrict women from full participating in the formal economy. In no country is the gender equality gap completely closed.

In the United States, women still do not receive equal pay for equal work. The pay gap has barely changed in a decade, it exists in nearly every occupation and it is exacerbated for women of color and older women. The lack of paid maternity leave makes it difficult for women to have children and also work outside the home. The resulting loss of income hurts families and the larger economy.

The international community has acknowledged the essential role that women play in peace and prosperity, which is particularly evident in conflict zones. Secretary of State John Kerry noted, “Countries that value and empower women to participate fully in decision-making are more stable, prosperous and secure. The opposite is also true. When women are excluded from negotiations, the peace that follows is more tenuous. Trust is eroded, and human rights and accountability are often ignored”.

For countries emerging out of conflict, women’s access to jobs and markets is essential to ensuring stability. Peace agreements alone do not bring security; employment brings stability that is critical to security. Access to a sustainable livelihood is especially important for women survivors of conflict who must care for themselves and dependents such as children and elderly parents.

We have seen an example of progress in the Philippines – where women have helped lead peace negotiations that culminated in a historic agreement between the government and rebel forces in the Mindanao region. There, for the first time ever, a woman was the chief signatory to a peace agreement in 2014. Women continue to be seen and treated as merely victims during armed conflict and while they are subjected to unique and disproportionate harms – including sexual violence – they also represent the greatest untapped resource to creating a more peaceful world.

Women’s political participation has been the area where progress has been slowest, even while other indicators have improved. Rates of women’s participation in parliaments and as heads of state are low in both the US and internationally. Rwanda serves an example of success, where women have led the charge to transform their country after the horrific 1994 genocide; it is the only country in the world with a higher percentage of female parliamentarians (64%).

Where women and girls can access education and employment alongside men and boys, countries are more likely to prosper. Yet women in many countries still lack access to education and vocational training. In Pakistan and Nigeria, extremists threaten and commit violence against girls seeking to go to school. In Afghanistan, girls’ enrollment in primary education has increased drastically in the last decade but there has been less progress on higher education for women. Lack of access to education is exacerbated in refugee settings and for internally displaced persons while child marriage continues to disempower young women and undercut their potential to live productive and happy lives.

As we mark International Women’s Day, we should act on our collective unfinished agenda, wherever we live. Despite the genuine progress that has been achieved, our work remains incomplete. Even where laws exist to protect women from harm, enforcement is often lacking. Moreover, gains have been uneven, not only from one geographic region to another but within countries across urban and rural divides.

Empowering women and girls worldwide is strategic and smart. No country can get ahead if it leaves half of its population behind. This is the great, unfinished agenda of the 21st century.

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Melanne Verveer was the inaugural U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s issues from 2009 to 2013. She now serves as the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.

Mayesha Alam is the Associate Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security and the author of Women and Transitional Justice: Progress and Persistent Challenges (Palgrave Macmillan, 2014).

Moving the Needle Forward on Women’s Rights in Afghanistan

This article by Ambassador Verveer was originally posted on The Huffington Post here.

This weekend, policy and thought leaders gathered in Norway for the Oslo Symposium on Advancing Women’s Rights and Empowerment in Afghanistan, which was co-sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Afghanistan and the U.S. Department of State, along with the Afghan Women’s Network, the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, and the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. The symposium brought together government leaders, civil society representatives, Afghan and international experts, and an impressive Afghan delegation led by First Lady Rula Ghani to discuss ways Afghans and the international community can continue to work together to sustain and advance gains made by women and girls in Afghanistan.

There is growing momentum in Afghanistan today. Millions of Afghans voted in the presidential elections, and the new unity government is enjoying strong support. On December 4, at the London Conference on Afghanistan, the Afghan government is expected to set out its vision for reform, and the international community is expected to demonstrate its continuing support for Afghanistan.

Earlier in the week, the Asia Foundation released its annual Survey of the Afghan People for 2014, giving us up-to-date insight on what Afghans believe to be the biggest areas of progress and the serious challenges that still remain in their country. This year’s survey included interviews of more than 9,000 citizens from all 34 of the country’s provinces. This is a critical time to reflect on the significant progress that has been made by and for the Afghan people, and to listen to the priorities of women in Afghanistan.

Afghanistan has changed significantly since the fall of the Taliban, and the ways in which Afghans view themselves and their country continue to evolve. As we see in the Asia Foundation survey, Afghans are more optimistic and hopeful about the future. Afghans are showing greater support for the Afghan Army, as well as support for the international role in providing technical and advisory assistance to the army and police. Afghans claim being Afghan as a defining feature of their identity.

Although change in some of these areas remains challenging, the progress is well-documented. According to the survey, Afghans perceive some of the biggest problems facing their country to be insecurity — some 65% are concerned about security — unemployment and corruption. These are challenges that both men and women in Afghanistan confront, but women face an additional set of challenges — and successes — that are specific to them. Women want greater opportunities for education and employment, as well as protection from violence. Domestic violence continues to be pervasive.

An interesting change that has come about in recent years is that women are seeking employment in steadily increasing numbers, and are demanding greater opportunities for education as well. This indicates that women are no longer seeing their place in society as solely within the home; many Afghan women see themselves as needed breadwinners who have the right to work. This shift in mindset is a marked contrast from a decade ago. Women are also reporting instances of domestic violence at higher rates, which suggests that women are now recognizing domestic violence as a crime that they feel able to report. The fact that Afghan women are prioritizing these issues is an indicator of the societal shifts that are taking place in large measure because of women’s leadership and engagement.

Many women fear that any future negotiations with the Taliban could lead to a reversal in the gains they have made. Numerous human rights violations continue to be committed against women and girls in Afghanistan on a regular basis. Women’s full participation in the decisions of their government, including in any future negotiations to end the conflict, is essential if Afghanistan is going to solidify the gains that have been made and build a better future.

When women progress, all of society makes progress. That is true in Afghanistan and around the world. The message out of Oslo this weekend was that we must continue to enable and empower the women of Afghanistan, who, as Mrs. Ghani noted, have a significant role to play in “returning peace and prosperity to Afghanistan.”

Ambassador Verveer is the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. She served as the first Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues with the U.S. Department of State.

Driving Growth through Women’s Economic Participation

This article by Ambassador Melanne Verveer originally appeared in the Huffington Post.

Women’s economic participation is a game-changer with the potential to transform entire economies and societies. The recently released World Economic Forum Gender Gap Report shows that while progress has been made in closing the gender gap, there is still much work to be done. In 2006, 56 percent of the economic participation gender gap had been closed, and that number is now 60 percent. It is critical that we focus our efforts on closing the divide in women’s participation in the formal economy in order to grow economies, create jobs and enhance inclusive prosperity for all.

As Secretary of State, Hillary Rodham Clinton put women’s economic participation on the foreign policy agenda. Recently, at Georgetown University, she reiterated why: “If we pay extra attention to getting women into the formal economy, it will be good for everybody…We have to unlock the potential of every person, and grow the economies of every nation. It’s the only way we’re going to be able to grow together.” As Secretary Clinton mentioned, if we were to close the gender gap on women’s economic participation, global GDP would grow by over 12 percent.

Some countries are tackling these issues head on. Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has made women’s economic participation, or womenomics, an integral part of his economic stimulus agenda. With an aging workforce and a low birth rate, Japan’s labor force can no longer support the size of the country’s economy, which has been stagnant for years. By closing the gender gap, Japan could boost its GDP by almost 13 percent. Prime Minister Abe has been working to reform the tax code, improve access to childcare and eldercare, reform immigration laws, and increase female participation in government in order to improve women’s economic participation. Abe sees women’s economic participation as critical to Japan’s revitalization and long-term growth.

This issue, however, is not just the responsibility of governments. The private sector plays a crucial role in catalyzing change, and corporations have the opportunity to be on the cutting edge. Access to finance, access to technology, sourcing from women-owned businesses, and changes to corporate culture all have the potential to increase women’s participation and transform business as we know it. It has been demonstrated that diversity and inclusion are not only the right things for businesses to do, they also make the most business sense. Companies that are more diverse financially outperform their less diverse counterparts by about 18 percent. It has also been shown that companies with more women on their boards of directors experience higher financial performance.

Accessing capital is a worldwide problem that female entrepreneurs face when trying to start or grow their small businesses. Women have a much more difficult time securing loans than men. This is as true for the CEO of a tech startup in the U.S. as for the seamstress in India who runs her own shop. Globally, women entrepreneurs, who earn billions in income each year, are a largely untapped market for financial institutions. By removing barriers and helping women secure loans, not only do women-owned businesses grow, but financial institutions can increase their profits as well.

Access to technology is also becoming increasingly essential for women’s economic participation. For example, a simple cell phone can revolutionize the way women do business. For a rural woman farmer trying to sell produce in Kenya, it can mean finding out where the closest market is on a given day. Cellular phones can also help women manage their finances and protect their savings. Mobile banking can enable the majority of the world’s poor who are unbanked to access financial services for the first time. Likewise, mobile education applications provide training on important skills and resources to which women may not otherwise have access, such as financial literacy, management and leadership strategies, and networks of supporters and peers.

Many companies have started to source their products from women-owned businesses, and women often prefer to buy products from other women. Adding more women to the supply chain is an essential step large corporations can take to to leverage the power of the female economy.

Corporate culture can greatly women’s participation in the workforce. For example, policies on parental leave, telecommuting, and flexible work hours influence women’s ability to enter and remain in the workplace. Mentorship and sponsorship programs, elevating women into senior management positions, and adding women to corporate boards also further women’s ability to succeed and make a greater contribution to the economy and society.

This is an evidence-based case built on a growing body of research and data. Women are game-changers in the economic sphere; their full economic participation drives prosperity for all. Data and analysis have shown that women’s economic participation is good for families, communities, societies, and countries, and it is good for business too. We can and must capitalize on the power of women’s economic participation to transform the lives of individuals, businesses, and the entire global economy.

You can find Secretary Clinton’s full remarks from the launch of the International Council on Women’s Business Leadership at Georgetown University here.

Aha Moments: Feminism and Faith

Originally posted in Huffington Post here.

It was a puzzle: intellectual discussions about theological matters rarely engaged issues centered on women, while feminist discussions skirted spiritual dimensions of women’s lives. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary, found faith and feminism intertwined in her own life but sharply segregated in her professional encounters. An “aha” moment came during an encounter with Egyptian women activists (who on the surface were not especially religious). Rocky communications were explained in good measure by the fact that for the Egyptians the whole area of religion affected everything they did, while for their North American counterparts, religious dimensions were completely absent from the conversation. Meaningful communication was impossible without appreciating how far religion and women’s daily lives and thus faith and feminism were linked.

Serene’s realization points to an urgent need to find ways to bridge these divides, whether it is to understand better the way that the world’s poorest women see the daily challenges that face them, or to support an American college student’s reflections about her future work and family life.

The beginnings of the feminist movement in the US were led by faith communities. Today, however, faith and feminism often seem to be in opposition. Several religious figures are prominent denigrators of feminism, seeing an assault on age-old values that honor families and hold them together. Meanwhile a religiously inspired passion for equality and care is often behind women’s struggles for equal rights. But many feminists are wary even of speaking about religion because they perceive religious values and teachings as holding back women’s progress or turning a blind eye to or even condoning egregious abuse within a family setting. Women are acknowledged as the backbone of religious institutions and the earliest stories they tell their children often draw on their faith traditions. But women’s roles and leadership are often invisible in the ranks of formal religious leadership. “Culture wars” come back again and again to relationships between men and women or, sadly, center on women as objects to be controlled.

Modern social norms are shifting, nowhere more prominently than in expectations about gender roles. Religious beliefs and practices are an important part of how these norms and expectations are shaped. This is most obvious in the public square but it is also important in private spheres, especially in families, where religious beliefs can shape gender dynamics in many ways, some readily apparent (like beliefs in differing gender roles or the relative importance of education for girls and boys), some much less so, for example the impact of stories with subservient female roles that echo religious traditions and beliefs. What’s needed, urgently, is a thoughtful conversation about how faith and feminism are linked. It needs to honor and respects feminism’s central commitment to true equal rights and women’s spiritual heritage and commitment to their central religious values.

Exploring the tensions, complementarities, and puzzles in private realms where men and women interact demands that we unpack important social challenges. This weekend actress and UN Ambassador Emma Watson gave a powerful speech at the United Nations. Her challenge: “If men don’t have to be aggressive in order to be accepted, women won’t feel compelled to be submissive. If men don’t have to control, women won’t have to be controlled.” Where do religious teachings address or inform these issues? Surely they play a large part. Jill Lepore in the New Yorker explores the journey of Wonder Woman (an early feminist icon since she was born in 1941), as the missing link in a chain of events that begins with the woman-suffrage campaigns of the 1910s and ends with the troubled place of feminism a century later. Religion does not appear in the article but the reflections about backlash and politics around feminism highlight how much the issues matter and their deep complexity. Religion is a silent part of Lepore’s story.

Georgetown University’s Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs and the World Faiths Development Dialogue WFDD (which I lead) have launched an exploration of pressing issues where faith and gender intersect. We are looking primarily at the private realm, above all within families, across different cultures and religious traditions. We have found perspectives that range from pretty radical reinterpretation of traditional teachings to views that celebrate the lasting strength and insight in a religious heritage. The first step was to seek thought pieces, hopefully setting out both provocative views and reflections about paths we should pursue. Essays and interviews are online and we welcome comments. This is a continuing conversation and next steps will include discussions of the key topics that emerge.

And a conference on September 24 in Washington DC was cosponsored by the new web magazine altFem (from the founders of altMuslimah.com and altCatholicah.com), the Berkley Center, and WFDD.

Feminism and faith should be allies, not enemies. And contrary to many current conversations they are linked in important ways: both part of the problem and part of the solution. Feminism is commonly misunderstood as anti-men, anti-religion, and anti-family. That’s far from the spirit and the truth of the matter. Feminists care deeply about families even as they seek to understand or redefine family values so that they are consistent with a robust understanding of equal rights. For many women, faith gives meaning to life and strength to confront its challenges and savor its joys and women’s religiosity is too often ignored. In many parts of the world it seems downright odd that the two topics are so separate, since culture and religious heritage and wisdom are an integral to many people’s experience. The “aha” challenge is to find ways to engage different perspectives in ways that avoid the sting of preconceived and denigrating views and offer ways to build on positive visions of a world where equality is a reality.

Katherine Marshall is a faculty adviser to the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and a Senior Fellow for Georgetown’s Berkeley Center for Religion, Peace and World Affairs.

Are We Listening to Syria’s Women and Girls?

Originally posted in the Daily Beast here.

Despite legislation meant to help women and girls in conflict zones, much more must be done to ensure rapid action on the ground—especially in Syria.

For the millions of women and girls displaced by conflicts across the globe, it has been a summer of extreme hardship. As a seemingly unbroken series of crises have unfolded from South Sudan to Mount Sinjar, from Gaza to Syria, women and girls comprise the majority of those displaced. They endure further torment as rates of rape, domestic violence and early marriage skyrocket in times of crisis. As Syrian women and girls confirm in a new report, without a change in approach by the international community, women around the world will have little relief from the ongoing violation of their human rights.

In the past 14 years, the UN Security Council has passed no less than seven resolutions on the role of women in peacebuilding, including 1325, a landmark resolution that asserted that women are uniquely burdened by armed conflict and are critical to resolving it. In 2005, UN agencies and their partners outlined – and agreed upon – key actions (better known to humanitarians as the IASC guidelines), which, if implemented during a humanitarian response, would better protect women and girls from violence.

Most recently, the U.K. and U.S. governments launched an international Call to Action to address violence against women and girls in conflicts and natural disasters. Despite these laudable efforts, as we near 2015 with the highest levels of refugees since World War II, we are witnessing the same cycle of sexual exploitation, rape, early marriage and domestic violence as years past. In South Sudan, women are urinating in plastic bags at home to avoid being raped in camps, and just weeks ago, Yazidi girls were being sold into marriage with known enemies more than twice their age in the communities on Mount Sinjar.

Different countries and different conflicts, yet the same horrendous stories of violence emerge. Our past promises have clearly failed to protect women and girls living in conflict zones. We do not need another resolution or guideline to support women and girls and put an end to this violence – we need to implement the resolutions and standards that already exist.

As world leaders gather at the United Nations in New York this week, they should hear what Syrian women and girls have to say in a new report published by the International Rescue Committee. Are We Listening? Acting on Our Commitments to Women and Girls Affected by the Syrian Conflict starkly demonstrates that the growing gap between words and meaningful on-the-ground action by the humanitarian community is resulting in devastating consequences for Syrian women and girls. In this report, women detail the nature and regularity of the gender-based violence they endure in conflict zones, bringing to life the tragic impacts of the current turmoil and the deficiencies in the international response. They speak of their exhaustion and humiliation from unrelenting negotiations for physical and sexual safety when securing food, water, shelter or clothing. Their struggles include sexual harassment when collecting aid, and domestic violence at home.

How is it that women and girls make up the highest number of refugees and displaced populations, and yet, they are the least visible? Women are routinely excluded from key decisions, which range from family safety to the design of humanitarian aid delivery and post-conflict nation rebuilding; the concerns of women continue to be marginalized. Zameaah, a refugee woman whom the IRC interviewed said, “I want my voice to be heard, so that everyone can feel with us.” These women are the best sources of wisdom on their current challenges and needs. Their voices must be heard.

The voices of Syrian women and girls bring new light to the need for the humanitarian community to double down on its efforts to uphold existing global standards for women’s protection in conflict settings. Women and girls, from Syria to South Sudan, want to eliminate the fear that shapes their day-to-day reality, and they require help to do so. We must live up to our obligations and listen to and protect those most vulnerable to violence. In its report, the IRC lays out eight actionable recommendations, which, if acted upon, will make Syrian women and girls not only safer from exploitation and abuse, but also safer and more empowered to be active in their own lives, homes, and communities.

The first of these recommendations includes an evaluation led by the United Nations to assess the current application of standards to protect women and girls with time-bound actions to immediately address the issues they have identified. Second, we must re-frame domestic violence as an imminent threat to the safety of women and girls and as a barrier to accessing aid, and support programs to respond to and prevent it. Third, we must recognize that adolescent girls face unique barriers and risks, and the humanitarian community must focus on creating opportunities for girls and providing services that respond to their unique experiences of violence, including early and forced marriage.

The women of Syria have spoken. It is imperative that the international community set new, higher standards in accountability to women and girls by its actions in the Syrian region and beyond. With the rallying cries of these women propelling us forward, the time to move from rhetoric to reality is now. We must allow their words to guide our efforts to better protect women and girls across conflict settings around the world.

The question is, are we listening?

David Miliband is President and CEO of the International Rescue Committee. He previously served as British Foreign Secretary. Melanne Verveer is the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security. She previously served as U.S. Ambassador for Global Women’s Issues.

Securing Safe Access to Education for Girls in Nigeria and Beyond

Originally posted in Huffington Post here.

In April 2014, the world’s attention turned to Nigeria as word spread that the militant group Boko Haram had kidnapped some 257 schoolgirls from Chibok and held them hostage. Boko Haram, which translates to “Western education is forbidden,” reportedly sold girls into slavery, and forced them to convert to Islam and marry members of the group. Since then, Boko Haram has continued its violent political agenda by specifically targeting civilians, including multiple attacks on schools, colleges, and universities. These acts of violence have rightly triggered a global outcry from world leaders and civil society activists, including in the form of the#BringBackOurGirls campaign. Despite the international response, the girls have not been released. Ensuring safe access to education is critical in Nigeria and in other places from Afghanistan to Sudan.

Across the globe, 62 million girls are out of school, and millions more are fighting to stay there. In Nigeria, the number of children out of school represents almost 20 percent of the world total. The majority of children not in school are in conflict-affected and emergency-stricken areas. Girls often face safety and security threats that undermine their access to education, such as sexual violence, acid attacks, and death threats, and these challenges are worsened by protracted violent conflicts. In these conflict regions, families are often forced to make an agonizing choice: to send their daughters to school and possibly risk their lives, or to keep them out of school and jeopardize their potential. In many places, such as Yemen, Bangladesh, and Niger, early and forced marriage keeps girls out of school against their wishes. The World Health Organization estimates that 39,000 girls are subjected to child marriage every day and that, without drastic change, some 50 million girls will be married off before the age of 15 between 2011 and 2010. In addition to losing out on education and economic opportunities, child brides are more susceptible to maternal mortality or morbidity, more likely to face intimate partner violence, and sexual violence compared to those who marry as adults.

Ensuring girls have safe and continued access to education is critical, not only on an individual basis but also on a global scale. Research shows that educating girls is the smartest socioeconomic investment that any community or country can make, resulting in stronger families, communities and countries. As we have seen, educating girls has a multiplier effect with benefits in health, broad-based economic growth and poverty reduction. When 10% more girls go to school, a country’s GDP increases on average by 3%. Wages rise 20% for every year beyond 4th grade that a girl remains in school.

Mothers are their children’s first teachers. When girls stay in school, early marriage rates drop and their children are also more likely to be educated. However, there are numerous barriers that prevent girls from continuing on to secondary education. Some parents choose to enroll their sons rather than their daughters. Many schoolslack access to sanitation for girls, and cultural norms can forbid girls from attending school while they are menstruating. Girls drop out due to inability to afford school fees, or the need to earn an income for their family. It is critical that these barriers are reduced and girls remain in school.

At the same time, it is important to remember that safe access to education is needed worldwide for girls and boys. There would be a 12 percent drop in global poverty if all students in low-income countries left school with basic reading skills. Education has been shown to be a life-saving intervention, particularly in regions of conflict and disaster. Each additional year of schooling for a country’s population reduces the changes of falling into civil war by 3.6%. Research and experience tell us that we can and must do better.

Individuals and groups from around the world are partnering to ensure that girls have safe access to education. From the Malala Fund to USAID’s Let Girls Learn Initiative, from Girl Rising to A World at School, millions of dollars are being invested in girls’ education worldwide. At the Clinton Global Initiative this week, a $600 million commitment was made by a range of donors to support girls secondary education in Africa and southeast Asia. In investing in education for boys and girls, we invest in stronger societies, more prosperous economies, and reinforce world peace and stability. All of us must do our parts: governments, civil society and the private sector. This must be our common cause.

Watch the video and read the conversation from the Symposium on Advancing Safe Access to Education for Girls in Nigeria and Beyond featuring USAID Administrator Raj Shah and Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala hosted by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace & Security at #SecureGirlsEd.

Ambassador Melanne Verveer is the Executive Director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and most recently served as the U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues with the U.S. Department of State.