International Women’s Day

My Lords, this annual debate has become a must for many noble Lords from all Benches, so it was with the greatest pleasure that I heard that my noble friend Lady Miller of Hendon had managed to secure this debate. She has always championed the cause of women, long before it was fashionable to do so—never to balance the numbers but always because of the contribution that women make to our national life. Over the years, we have witnessed a significant change and an attitudinal shift in both women’s and society’s thoughts about women’s equality and emancipation. Vast advances have been made. Internationally, there are, for example, women Prime Ministers and astronauts. Nearly everywhere, young women are gaining entry to university on equal terms, often beating their male colleagues in the degree league tables. Today, women can work and have a family. These are real choices which were not available in my day. However, internationally, many women still have a long way to go until they enjoy the freedom and achievements that we are lucky enough to experience. Sadly, women still bear the overwhelming burden of extreme poverty and deprivation in the developing world. More than two-thirds of the world’s poorest people are women. With Mother’s Day fast approaching, it is tragically appropriate to note that each year millions of women worldwide face serious injury, permanent disability and, sadly, in some cases, death, due to complications during pregnancy and birth. Those who choose not to go through birth face an even more uncertain outcome if they resort to an unsafe abortion. It is grimly estimated that every minute a woman dies needlessly in childbirth. Her baby will almost always die, too. Last year alone, almost 9 million children under five died, 40 per cent of them in the first month of their lives. Women and girls would be able to earn more money, and in a safer way, to support their families if they were better educated. They would be equipped to understand and challenge the stereotypes that hold them back and better prepared to protect themselves from abuse, exploitation and harmful traditional practices. However, currently girls constitute more than two-thirds of 130 million children who have no access to basic education. More than 72 million children are missing out on school; most of those are girls and many are disabled. There are several reasons for this. Some families simply cannot afford education and prioritise the boys in the family. In many countries, the infrastructure simply does not exist or is seriously lacking. Cultural attitudes create a huge barrier to girls attending school. Vulnerable groups of girls, such as orphaned, disabled or street girls, are even more exposed to discrimination and social disadvantage. Another issue is the violence that occurs in schools. In Malawi, it is reported that one in five schoolgirls has been sexually assaulted and almost one in 10 has been raped or subjected to attempted rape. Can the noble Baroness the Leader of the House tell the House whether the Government have had talks with agencies in countries such as Malawi, where this type of abuse is taking place in schools? What plans are in place not only to educate more girls and women, but to influence people in those countries to push the importance of women’s education? We must praise and be proud of all the work that has been done to get to where we are today. On this day each year we celebrate the advances that have occurred, but we must never relent in trying to improve the lives of others who are not as fortunate as we are in this country.