"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression. Bring justice to the fatherless, and plead the widow's cause."
~ Isaiah 1:17
Did you know that today is International Day of the Girl? Thousands of women and girls across the world are abused and neglected on the sole basis of their gender. God calls us to advocate for the rights of persecuted and give a voice to those who are silenced. Perhaps the best way to defend the rights of the vulnerable is to enable them to do so on their own through access to an education. In honor of International Day of the Girl 2013, here's a piece I wrote about the issue of women's education last spring. Sometimes I get a little carried away with my metaphors, so please excuse me. (:
"Of Value is thy Freight"
Who is a woman without access to an education? She is a castaway stranded in the threatening waters of a relentless sea. On a distant horizon is a captivating shore that she is unable to behold, for a veil, which has been imposed on her from the dawn of humanity, conceals her haggard eyes. Impenetrable blindness overwhelms her; it tethers her to a dock of oppression and inferiority. In the patriarchal societies of many nations across the globe, education is a vessel that sails freely only for males. Too often, women in such countries are left to sink in a persistent flood of inequality. It is my fervent belief that the right to explore earth’s uncharted waters has been bestowed upon all humans, and I am confident that this right is best protected in the form of educational opportunities. While these opportunities have been made more easily attainable for women in recent years, educational equality must be achieved in full. A nation that protects a woman’s right to an education is one that reduces her susceptibility to injustice, empowers her development in society, and ultimately promotes the progression of the human race.
The
prevalence of social tyranny in nations with educational inequality frequently subjects women to
brutality and injustice of various forms. A Thousand Splendid Suns, one
of the most groundbreaking literary works of the twenty-first century,
chronicles the plight of Afghani women. A major protagonist in this work is the
product of an out-of-wedlock pregnancy who is perceived as a menace to society
from birth. She is never granted access to a public education. At the age of
fifteen, she is forced to marry a man who is more than twice her age. After
enduring decades of abuse, she is ultimately stoned to death for lashing out
against her oppressor. Unfortunately, this woman’s story is not one that is
confined to the pages of a novel. It is one that is brought to life across the
globe each day. However, there is a means of escape for the women who live out
this cruel reality. Exhaustive research indicates that countries with more
educated women report lower rates of child/infant mortality, lessened maternal
mortality, and curbed pervasiveness of sexually transmitted disorders. Women
who are nurtured in knowledge are more likely to take ownership of their minds,
their bodies, and their freedoms. A sense of personal dominion enables females
to advocate for themselves and slowly lift the veil blinding them from the hope
they are entitled to pursue.
The
facilitating nature of education and the countless territories it spans
instills an attitude of enlightenment in an individual, which thus elicits the
desire to become a contributing member of society. Consider the remarkable
accomplishments of empowered women of the past. Because of education, women
have explored space, escaped poverty, become humanitarians, and made other
innovations in their frontiers. What if the cure for AIDS lies in the hands of
a young Pakistani girl who has never set foot in a school? What if world peace
dwindles in the fingertips of an Ethiopian woman who has been circumscribed by
her gender? The daunting waters of the world we inhabit are surely ridden with
torrents of uncertainty. These torrents are matched in strength only by the
infinite sea of inquisitive women who have yearned to navigate and quell stormy
waters, but have been inhibited from doing so. As a result of these
inhibitions, many of earth’s greatest mysteries remain unsolved.
History and literature remind us that education is a critical tool in ensuring the promise of an incandescent future. In his popular poem "Song of Democracy," writer and philosopher Walt Whitman asserts that education is the right by which all other rights are championed. To emphasize this theme, Whitman Pens:
"And these I see, these sparkling eyes,
These stores of mystic meaning, these young lives,
Building, equipping like a fleet of ships, immortal ships,
Soon to sail out over the measureless seas,
On the soul's voyage."
Although the poem pertains directly to the American education systems, its words and their meanings are universal; education is essential in fostering the overall advancement of humankind. The majority of us have been given the opportunity to thrive in the broadening environment of a public school. Have you ever taken a moment to reflect upon the meaning of a place where students come together to learn from the past and embrace the present so that they might become the future? Nations that deny women the right that so many of us enjoy are generally plagued with raging violence, antique prejudices, and political turmoil. As the future of our world, I propose that we educate ourselves on the issues surrounding educational inequality as well as the implications that they carry. Withholding the right to an education from a group of individuals, no matter how far away they may seem, hinders us all from reaching the destination towards which we sail. For in the words of Walt Whitman, a public school is more than the tiresome reading, writing, and ciphering classes. It is more, infinitely more.
Since its inception, humanity has longed to dock upon a shore of equality, liberation, and prosperity. I believe that education is the vessel by which this harbor is reached, but the lingering disparity of women's education has anchored man's progress too deeply in outdated and discriminatory ideals. Establishing universal education for women across the globe will protect them from oppression and allow them to transform their environments, and it will be a milestone in the ongoing quest to secure human rights for all. Please join me in the mission to rescue the castaway who is stranded in her lack of knowledge. Lift the veil that masks her face, and look upon her with new eyes as hers quiver open. Let her know that she is the exceedingly valuable freight carried by the store of education. Release the yoke that has bound her to ineffable transgressions as she learns to navigate the unfamiliar waters on her own.
Malala Yousfazi is an incredible champion for women's rights! Check out one of her many inspiring interviews here.
