Access to Education

Girls constitute about 81 million of the 130 million children without access to primary school. This can be attributed to many factors, including poverty, early marriage and lack of adequate schooling facilities.

Sexual Exploitation
Millions of girls worldwide are lured or forced into commercial sex activities each year. Many are sold and work in the sex trade under constant threat of violence. Almost all come from impoverished families. Lured by employment in cities, but lacking education and skill, girls become easy prey for predators in the sex trade. They risk prostitution, exposure to AIDS and physical abuse.

Critical Statistics

• Nearly half a million maternal deaths occur each year in
  developing countries
• Among the world's 900 million illiterate people, women outnumber men two to one
• Girls constitute the majority of the 130 million children without access to primary school
• There are six HIV-infected women for every four infected men
• Of 1.3 billion people living in poverty, 70 percent are women

Recognizing Equality
World Vision recognizes and supports the equal worth, dignity and rights of women and men, girls and boys, and the significant role they play in promoting sustainable transformational development

A Better Future For Children . . . Better access to basic health care services Better access to education for both girls and boys Reduced child and maternal mortality rates Reduced harmful traditional practices, and better protection from abuses and exploitation Strengthened relationships between men and women Peaceful and safe homes and communities for children -- both girls and boys.
. . . Means Intervening In These Critical Areas Health care provision and education facilities HIV/AIDS and genter initiative Harmful traditional practices Female genital mutilation Early marriage Female infanticide Sexual exploitation and trafficking Violence against women and girls Peace building and reconciliation Empowerment: equal access and control over resources