Women Senators Stand Up for Malala and Girls Education Worldwide


October 23, 2012
by Allison Grossman, Senior Legislative Associate

In the wake of the Taliban’s assassination attempt on fourteen-year old Malala Yousafzai in Pakistan earlier this month, 15 women of the United States Senate urged Pakistani Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf to stand up for the right of all girls and women to attend school safely and without fear.

Led by Senator Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), the women senators sent a letter urging the government of Pakistan to confront violence and extremism, to bring the perpetrators Malala’s attack to justice, and to continue and intensify efforts to extend access to a safe and quality education to all Pakistani children.

The senators remind us that, “The attack on Malala is a stark reminder that every day, women of all ages face great obstacles in their pursuit of basic human rights, including the pursuit of an education.” It goes on to say, “As the women of the Senate, we also reiterate our commitment to work with you in continuing the broader fight for girls and women – in Pakistan and around the world – to pursue an education without fear of violence, intimidation, or indignity.”

This letter is a powerful statement about the continued challenges we face as we advocate to remove the barriers that prevent girls from going to school as well as for quality, universal access to education for all children around the world.

If your senator was one of the 15 who signed, please take a moment to contact their offices to thank your senator for standing up for Malala and girls like her around the world.

Then, take a look at this blog post for more ideas on how you can take action to improve the state of global education.

The following senators signed on:

Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Patty Murray (D-WA), Olympia Snowe (R- ME), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Susan Collins (R-ME), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Claire McCaskill (D-MO), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Kay Hagan (D-NC), and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)

 

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