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| Wednesday, 21 July 2004 |
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Fair Play for Girls by Dr. Sadig Rasheed, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia After a break of four years the Asian Cup is back with us. When the cricket teams take to the wickets in Sri Lanka today their games will reflect how sport can overcome political obstacles and help make bridges between peoples. In a joyous spirit of fair play cricketers from all nations can expect their skills to be rewarded by applause, even from opposing supporters, and the rules of the game to be applied impartially by the umpires. If only life were like that!
They may even get angry and become aggressive with the opposition. After all it would be very unfair and when things are unjust people often react badly. People in the crowd may also object because the full potential was not being realized, and they would know that their right to enjoy something was being undermined. The Asia Cup will involve many countries from South Asia whose children still face significant challenges to survive and thrive. And girls face the biggest obstacles. The playing field of life is skewed against them. The implications are tragic for them and for us all. If I had to choose on. thing, one initiative that could work to improve radically the lives of children and the communities they live in, I would pick girl's education. Last month the Asia Cricket Council, the organizers of the Asia Cup, recognized this and joined with UNICEF in the region to highlight the need to give all girls a worthwhile education. Quite simply education transforms individuals and societies. Parents who can afford to invest considerable sums in their children's schooling recognize this. Yet in South Asia, principally in India, Pakistan, Bangaladesh and Nepal, something like 46 million children are out of school. The effects of this will be felt by the societies we hand over to the younger generation. Lack of education perpetuates poverty, and poverty provides fertile ground for instability, disease and economic destitution. I am often asked why should there be such a concentration on girl's education. This is because there are more girls out of schools than boys, and yet we know that when there is equality of access to education societies as a whole receive a disproportionate benefit. A mother with some education stands a chance of getting a better paid job and adding more to family income. The young student who understands basic science becomes a mother who is better able to care for sick children leading to a drop in child mortality and better rates for nutrition and immunization. A female left uneducated is more vulnerable to physical and sexual abuse, a condition that holds up a nasty image to societies struggling to be smart, modern and empowered. In addition girls' education may be the single most effective weapon in the prevention of HIV/AIDS. It slows and reduces the spread of the disease by contributing to female economic independence, delayed marriage, and an understanding of the disease and how to prevent it. Fair Play for Girls! is not just about getting girls into school. Denying education for anyone is about refusing a fundamental right and perpetuating exclusion, with the result that development is stunted. Research shows that conditions that attract girls into schools also benefit boys. Schools that aim to attract girls and keep them generally have a happier learning environment and are likely to have better facilities. Concentrating on girls means targeting those who are always the last into schools and the first out. Improving that sorry condition brings improvements for all, both in the classrooms and in communities. Getting more girls into school is considered so important, and such a key foundation for development, that gender parity at primary and secondary levels was scheduled for completion under the Millennium Development goals for 2005, ten years before the other goals are supposed to be achieved. The fact remains though that millions of girls in South Asia face discrimination and an environment that favours boys. This uneven playing field needs to be changed. It is the right thing to do. It is a good thing to do. It is something that will benefit everyone from the oldest to the youngest in our societies. The Asian Cricket Council has joined UNICEF's Fair Play for Girls! campaign. Everyone can help. A child out of school is a child excluded. Let us all do what we can to ensure that even the most marginalized and the poorest of South Asia's children are given a fair chance. Our leaders need to know that people see this as a major concern. Let us give support to local schools and make sure teachers know they are valued. Let us not tolerate a climate where girls suffer discrimination. Doing all this will go a long way to ensure a better game for everyone. In the meantime our best wishes to all those taking part in the Asia Cup and the fans. Fair Play for Girls! For further information, please contact: Martin Dawes, UNICEF Office for South Asia + 977-1-441-7082 [email protected], Surangani Abeysekera, UNICEF Sri Lanka 011-255-5270 [email protected] |
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Produced by Lake House |
As we all sit back to enjoy this festival of cricket just imagine what
kind of game it would be if one side in every match was hobbled, and if
the wicket was made bumpy when their players came to bat. It would not be
a good game. The disadvantaged players would not be able to show their
skills.
