Hello Everyone! Welcome to our brand new blog! We are a group of four students from Penn State University discussing a wide range of issues, both positive and negative, that are affecting females of all ages all across the world. Our group consists of three females and one male all majoring in communications. We were asked by our professor to create a blog providing awareness on a certain issue that is pulls at the heart strings of our group. After learning of the current movement, The Girl Effect, that tries to encourage young females around the world, our group decided to venture in the avenue of women’s rights. What the outcome of this blog may be is completely up in the air. However, our overall goal for this blog is to provide as much information regarding women as possible, whether it may be through inspirational stories or horrific videos and images to truly show the world the impact of violence and suppression against women. We hope you follow the journey with us!
Because The Girl Effect was the first idea brought to the table, I figured we would present the movement as the first blog post topic. Also, I felt that The Girl Effect’s campaign questions was extremely appropriate for not only their concerns but for all women across the world of all ages. “The world could use a good kick in the pants!” I believe that many, both male and female, would agree to this statement. As defined on their website, The Girl Effect is “the unique potential of six hundred million adolescent girls to end poverty for themselves and the world.” There has been a small amount of research regarding the correlation between girls economic growth and the well-being of communities. However, the research that has been done shows that these young girls can definitely have a large impact on the community in many ways. One major finding from this research is, “when a girl in the developing world receives seven or more years of education, she marries four years later and has 2.2 fewer children.”
Historically, there has been large debate regarding the equality of women and men and how that severe issue has created other numerous conflicts: gender gaps, educational gaps, economic wages, etc. Educational gaps are even more apparent in developing countries. “Approximately one-quarter of girls in developing countries are not in school and of the world’s 130 million out-of-school youth, seventy percent are girls.” Because these girls are being shut out of schools, they are being forced into marriages at extremely young ages. In these marriages, up to half of these young girls are becoming pregnant and some are resulting in death due to complications during childbirth or even during general pregnancy. These young girls are suffering at an extremely young age through forced marriages, physical abuse and can even contract HIV/AIDS.
Things can go one or two ways for these girls and everyone around them. They can get a chance. She can become educated, stay healthy and HIV negative, marry when she chooses and raise a healthy family. Or, one of these things could happen... She could be illiterate, be married off, isolated, pregnant and vulnerable to HIV. You can help six million adolescent girls in developing countries fulfill the first option through your support, your voice and your action.
Check out The Girl Effect website and learn more of their fight. On their website, you can find personal stories, more eye opening statistics and multiple ways to help donate and support the cause. Check it out!!
