UK government’s foreign aid cuts put girls’ education at risk
So even if the prime minister stands by his commitment to protect girls’ education directly, he will still put it in danger by cutting budgets elsewhere. As researchers in international development increasingly understand, if you remove one part of the programme, the entire structure begins to fall apart. Prediksi Jitu Togel Sydne Selasa 01/12/2020
Where access to education is low, incidents of forced marriage, female genital mutilation, gender violence, teenage pregnancies, and poor family health are high. New data shows that before COVID-19, one in three adolescent girls in Ethiopia were likely to be married, compared to one in 15 adolescent boys. These risks are likely to be exacerbated in the context of the current pandemic.
Some commentators have, of course, suggested that foreign aid is often wasted money, and fails to reach the people it is designed to help. The government’s commitment to date to promoting evidence-based approaches to what works in international development has ensured this is not the case.
Research at the University of Cambridge also indicates that this is a false argument. We recently published research showing that while getting the most disadvantaged girls into school might require a large financial investment, there are massive benefits, with positive spillover effects for boys too.
Andrew Mitchell, the previous international development secretary, stated in parliament after the announcement of the aid cut that “the 30% further reduction in cash as a result of the cut in [international aid] will be the cause of 100,000 preventable deaths, mainly among children”.
That echoes the warning of nearly 200 charities – not to mention five former prime ministers – that cutting foreign aid is an ethical and strategic error. The evidence on the good that the UK’s work has begun to do for the poorest people in the world – particularly disadvantaged girls – highlights the realities of the human cost involved.
In 2019, the government stressed the need for action and leadership on girls’ education. Wherever it chooses to swing its axe on the foreign aid budget, it is now difficult to see how that standard will be maintained.
