Women and girls continue to suffer discrimination and violence all over the world. Guaranteeing girls the right to education, medical care and decent work will promote sustainable economies that will benefit societies and the whole human kind.
It’s necessary to specify the difference between the two terms “sex” and “gender“: the first concerns the genetic aspect, while the second one is a cultural construction that is acquired over time.
Gender inequalities are still a very present reality in many countries of the world, in fact it’s impossible for women and girls to have access to education or have a job. Unfortunately, girls coming from the most disadvantaged backgrounds and forced to get married very young will always be more likely to abandon their studies, have children at a very young age, risk complications during childbirth and be victims of violence.
Malala Yousafzai is a young Pakistani activist who fought to guarantee herself and everyone the right to education at the age of 13. On 10th October 2014 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize along with Kailash Satyarthi.
The motivation of the Norwegian Nobel Committee was: “for their fight against the oppression of children and young people, for the right of all children to have education”. Today Malala is the universal symbol of women fighting for the right to culture and knowledge.
We girls can and must fight to have the same rights and the same duties as men: “We can do that and we must do that”.