This day brings together people and advocacy groups to raise awareness about the challenges facing girls around the world. Tragically. todays regional crises are having a disproportionately destructive impact on girls. 2015 marks the year with the highest number of displaced persons since World War II. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. women and girls comprise half of any refugee or internally displaced population. Crises such as the ongoing conflict in Syria. over 1.5 million displaced in South Sudan. and the expanding migrant crisis in Europe. among others. risk leaving an entire generation of girls shaped by a lack of opportunity. genderbased violence. forced marriage. and disrupted education. Access to education is often a top priority for refugee families upon resettling in a foreign country. We know that. if empowered with the appropriate tools. girls can be facilitators of change who can transform their own lives. as well as the lives of their families. communities. and societies and serve as a bulwark against the conditions that contribute to extremism that so many terrorist groups have exploited. often at the expense of women and girls. The lack of access to education for refugee girls stifles empowerment and stands in the way of achieving a durable solution to conflict. As the United States and the international community work to cope with the current refugee crisis. it is critical that we focus not only on security but on the basic needs of refugees. such as access to education and increasing the role of women and girls in humanitarian response and civil society programs.
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migrant refugees refugee Refugees