Edward joined the UK based Leonard Cheshire Disability charity in Parliament in advance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December to discuss the barriers faced by disabled women and girls in going to school in developing countries.
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development pledges to “leave no one behind” yet a recent report by Leonard Cheshire and the United Nations Girls Education Initiative (UNGEI) has highlighted that there remains still more work to do to support children with disabilities in developing countries go to school, and to achieve this goal. Girls with disabilities are less likely to enrol in education, and have lower rates of attendance and completion, making disability one of the most prominent factors in educational marginalisation. For girls with disabilities, the situation is even more challenging; due to gender norms and practices common in many developing countries, they can face triple discrimination, on the basis of their poverty, disability and gender.
Leonard Cheshire Disability runs a number of programmes aimed at improving access to inclusive education for disabled children, particularly girls, and employment opportunities for disabled people in 13 countries across Africa and Asia, and is campaigning to raise awareness of the issue and the importance of ensuring no one is left behind.
Edward said: “I was delighted to join Leonard Cheshire Disability to help mark the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The important research Leonard Cheshire has conducted into girls’ education shows the additional barriers girls with disability can face in accessing an education, particularly in the developing world. Around the world, people with disabilities are often significantly poorer, significantly less likely to reach school or to receive a comparable quality of education, and significantly less likely to secure employment or livelihoods. It is vital that the UK continues to ensure that disabled people, especially girls with disabilities, around the world are not left behind.
This report is an important reminder that whilst real progress has been made, there is still more to do to ensure that disabled people are not left behind, particularly in ensuring access to inclusive education."