HuffPost: British Aid Is Transforming Girls’ Lives Across The World. But There’s More We Can Do
Alok Sharma, secretary of state for international development of the United Kingdom and Conservative MP for Reading West

“…[D]espite the progress we are making, millions of girls around the world are still being left behind. That is why today, on the International Day of the Girl, I am committing to put women and girls at the heart of U.K. aid. Every year, 12 million girls under the age of 18 are married, cutting short their education. Some 130 million girls worldwide are missing out on school. An estimated three million girls a year are at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation. This unacceptable injustice continues into adult life. … The U.K. has been at the forefront of global efforts to promote accessible healthcare, available to all, and we have been very clear that this must include sexual and reproductive health and rights for women and girls. … It is only through empowering women and girls that we can break the cycle of poverty in the developing world” (10/11).