The Australian Baha’i Community has joined with many organisations in Australia to promote the importance of educating girls in order to eradicate poverty.
To mark United Nations International Day for Eradication of Poverty on 17 October 2009, the Australian Baha’i Community and UNIFEM Australia led a move in which more than 20 organisations signed a statement affirming that girls must be valued by their families and by society.
Those participating ranged from faith communities to women’s professional organisations to academic, health, justice and human rights organisations.
Investing in girls’ education is an investment in a better future for us all, said a spokesperson for the Australian Baha’i Community, Tessa Scrine.
“Educating girls not only benefits the individuals but also their families, communities, nations and the world as a whole,” Ms Scrine said.
“In fact, Baha’is believe that education of girls is so important that if a lack of resources forces a choice between educating a son or daughter, parents should choose the daughter,” she said.
“Girls must be educated to participate fully in the affairs of the world and to fulfil their responsibilities as mothers and first educators of the next generation.”
UNIFEM Australia Director Julie McKay said that unless the world acted to ensure girls’ rights during childhood, it could not achieve gender equality and the real empowerment of women that would eradicate poverty.
“When all the benefits are taken into account, educating girls yields a higher rate of return than any other investment that can be made in the developing world,” Ms McKay said.
“Educating girls contributes to increased economic productivity and improved family nutrition,” she said.
“From reductions in infant mortality, fertility, and the incidence of AIDS to improvements in the environment, it has been demonstrated that the mother’s education makes the difference.”
Ms McKay said that positive effects increase with every additional year a girl stays in school.
“For every year beyond fourth grade that girls go to school, family size drops 20 percent and wages rise 20 percent,” she said.
“Female literacy alone has been shown to play a much more important role in promoting social well-being than other variables related to the general level of wealth in a society.”
Download the joint statement here