Mr. Speaker. I rise today in recognition of the International Day of the Girl and to advocate for robust funding for programs that benefit the education of refugee children in general and refugee girls in particular. Today. there are more forcibly displaced people roaming the earth than at any other time since World War II. 60 million men. women and children currently qualify as refugees. One in every two is under the age of 18 and about 50% of them are girls. While the U.S. is a generous supporter of global aid programs. less than 10% of that aid goes to education and less than 2% goes to educate children trapped in emergencies. Many refugee children have no schools nearby to attend and in those cases where education is an option. refugee children face significant challenges such as overcrowding. language barriers and the lack of learning materials. As a consequence. many refugee children around the world do not receive the quality education they need to survive as adults. Access to education is especially vital for young girls who are six times more likely to marry as children if access to secondary education is unavailable to them. Those who fall between the cracks often become victims of human trafficking and child labor. The average refugee is displaced from their home for 17 years. Without an adequate education. refugee children can become economically handicapped for life. They grow up without the skills to earn a living or support a family. According to the Girl Up organization. every additional year of secondary education completed by refugees results in a 10% increase in earnings. Every bit of the support we provide can help break the cycle of poverty that threatens the majority of refugees. That is why I rise on this International Day of the Girl to commend groups like Girl Up and organizations like UNICEF and UNHCR for all they do to support refugees and especially for their support of childhood education.
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