Education: A Global Human Right
There are 77 million children worldwide unable to attend school and many others will drop out before completing their primary education. To help advocate for these issues and make a compelling case for education as a human right, CCF communities in 12 countries took part in activities to support education. The activities were organized by Global Campaign for Education, an organization that rallies support to promote education for all.
Recent activities centered on the theme, “Education as a Human Right.” One community created paper cut outs and drawings of people linked together and sent them to their government officials. Another community joined hands as a public display to get the attention of their government. All activities sent clear messages to governments—that they must address education as a human right.
In commemoration of 2007 Human Rights Day, CCF continues to support education as a human right by promoting activities to work with parents, teachers and youth organizing forums, meetings, panel discussions, radio talk shows, marches, plays, essay and poetry competitions, art exhibitions and musical performances.
CCF is working with communities to raise awareness about their human rights, especially their children's right for an education. CCF’s education programs provide children with motivation and encouragement to stay in school and ensure they obtain the necessary knowledgeto find gainful employment and contribute to society.
Advocating for Girls’ Rights to Education
CCF Endorses the International Violence Against Women Act Globally, two out of every three children not attending school are girls. Even when girls make it to school, many face harassment or sexual abuse by teachers and male classmates. Recent studies in Africa found that between 16 and 47 percent of girls experience sexual violence at school, leading to unwanted pregnancies or becoming infected with a sexually transmitted disease, including HIV/AIDS. CCF helps local communities find solutions for these problems. Programs establish a teacher code of conduct, enforcement policies, community sensitization campaigns, girls’ education support committees, and awareness and response training. CCF strives to create a protective learning environment for girls, especially where local practices such as child marriage can keep girls from attending school. In order to broaden these programs, CCF has been coordinating with NGOs on the International Violence Against Women Act (I-VAWA), which was introduced in the US Senate on October 31, 2007. I-VAWA makes it a policy of the United States to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, it incorporates prevention, training, advocacy activities, education, health, legal and protective intervention services. Since its early stages, CCF experts in the field of education and child protection provided critical content and feedback, ensuring that the legislation also included provisions to improve girls’ educational opportunities. The legislation specifically addresses the rights of girls to attend school free of sexual abuse. CCF has officially endorsed I-VAWA as part of their ongoing efforts to educate policy makers on violence against women and girls. To learn more about I-VAWA or what you can do to advocate for women and girls, visit Women’s Edge, one of our partners in this effort at www.womensedge.org. |