Committee Member attends Interparliamentary Meeting on Empowering women and girls through education
5 March 2015
On 5 March, Baroness Benjamin, Member of the EU Sub-Committee on Home Affairs, Health and Education, will attend a Interparliamentary Meeting organised by the European Parliament's Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee on 'empowering women and girls through education'.
Background
Education as a means of empowering women is a vital tool for international development. Investing in girls' education is regarded as one of the most effective means of reducing poverty and ensuring sustainable development. Less educated girls are far more likely to be subjected to domestic violence, child marriage and poverty. Educated women are more likely to marry later, have smaller families and children with a higher chance of survival. They are also more likely to understand healthcare and how to access it, and to know and understand their rights more generally. In this way, education holds important benefits not only to individual women, but to their families and wider society.
On the occasion of the 2015 International Women's Day, the FEMM Committee is inviting Members of National Parliaments of the EU Member States, the enlargement countries and the Parliamentary Assembly and the Council of Europe to attend this meeting on the theme 'Empowering women and girls through education'.
Topics
The meeting will provide the opportunity to discuss experiences and best practices on how to strengthen the rights of women and girls through education, as well as strategic actions and ideas for the way forward.
Further Information