Many girls and women cannot exercise their right to education due to gender inequality and discriminatory practices. Poverty, early marriage, and gender-based violence are just some of the many reasons behind the high percentage of global female illiteracy and school drop-outs.
Strengthening the right of girls and women to quality education is key to eliminate discrimination and to achieve equal rights between genders. This cannot be achieved without solid national legal frameworks that are rightsbased, gender responsive and inclusive. This is where HerAtlas comes in.
HerAtlas, is a first of its kind online tool that maps the right to education of girls and women. It aims to enhance public knowledge and monitor the status of national constitutions, legislation and regulations related to education rights for girls and women to encourage countries to take action, strengthen their laws and policies, and lead to long term change.
Concrete changes are already apparent. In 2019, 4% of countries were explicitly restricting the right to education of married, pregnant, and parenting girls. This has dropped to 2% in 2022, benefiting millions of girls who can now legally attend school when they marry or become pregnant.