UNICEF welcomes Education Under Attack report

Speaking at the launch of Education under Attack 2018, a new report by the Global Coalition to Protect Education from Attack (GCPEA), Shahida Afzar, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director, said:

“Today’s report is helping us shine a light on an issue that is too often overlooked. Children are under attack around the globe.

“Because of attacks on places of education, children are putting their lives at risk just going to learn each day. Their parents are forced to make a grim choice: their children’s education or their children’s safety. Rather than places to learn and to grow — places of learning have become places to fear. 

“The report also demonstrates a particularly troubling pattern of attacks on girls and their education. Girls were targeted simply for wanting to learn in over half of the countries profiled in this report. In countries like Afghanistan, Mali, Pakistan, and Somalia, girls have suffered acid attacks, brutal abductions, and even execution in their pursuit of education. We must not forget the girls in Chibok, kidnapped from their school dormitory beds. Over 100 of these girls are still missing.

“The scale of the problem demands that we match our outrage with practical solutions, new investments and a renewed commitment to deliver education to every child.”

Notes for editors:

More information about the GPCEA report Education under Attack 2018 is available here: http://www.protectingeducation.org/

Multimedia assets available here: http://uni.cf/23VoIj6

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