Shaheen, Murkowski Reintroduce Bipartisan Bill to Improve Girls’ Access to Education Around the World
**Today, 120 million girls around the world are not regularly enrolled in school**
**Girls in crisis and conflict settings are nearly 2.5 times more likely to be out of school than those living in countries not in crisis**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), a senior member of the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee, reintroduced her legislation with U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) to address the unique barriers young girls in developing countries face in accessing a complete education.
“Keeping girls in school is fundamental to ensuring they have the opportunity to grow and thrive—and when girls are empowered with access to quality education, their communities and countries are better able to achieve gender equality and economic development,” said Senator Shaheen. “I’m proud to once again join with Senator Murkowski to reintroduce bipartisan legislation to address the systemic and persistent barriers impeding girls’ education worldwide and reiterate our nation’s moral obligation and foreign policy priority to act now to protect and educate girls around the world.”
“Access to education is critical to a nation’s development and health—and yet we still see that around the world too many girls and women are denied the opportunity to go to school,” said Senator Lisa Murkowski. “I’m proud to join Senator Shaheen on this effort to reduce the many barriers girls face in accessing quality education—including forced marriages, unsafe or violent environments, and more. Our bill works to empower millions of young girls across the world who will go on to play a crucial role in driving economic development in their communities. Everyone deserves access to an education—and I am proud to fight for this opportunity for young girls around the world.”
According to data from the Malala Fund, 120 million girls around the world are not in school. The Keeping Girls in School Act would direct the U.S. government to leverage its resources and partnerships with private institutions, NGOs and federal agencies to create solutions that address the obstacles facing adolescent girls. The bill would also require the development of a U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls to ensure that the United States remains committed to adolescent girls as a critical demographic in the growth of every country, especially in developing countries.
Specifically, the Keeping Girls in School Act would:
- Authorize USAID to enter into innovative, results-based and traditional grant programs designed to reduce the barriers that adolescent girls face to receiving an education.
- Outline and bring attention to 15 barriers that girls face in their pursuit of secondary education.
- Require the review and update of the U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls in consultation with other departments and agencies in the federal government and civil society, to be reviewed and updated every 5 years.
Senator Shaheen is a fierce advocate for women and girls in the United States and around the globe. Shaheen has prioritized issues to empower women and pursue gender equality, such as opposing efforts to roll back women’s reproductive rights, fighting for the rights of sexual assault survivors, advocating on behalf of family planning and women’s global health, spearheading efforts to end violence against women and securing women leadership roles in conflict resolution and peace negotiations. Shaheen is also an outspoken advocate for Afghan women and girls.
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