Tomorrow, 11 October, is the United Nations International Day of the Girl and this year's theme is innovating education. It is an important opportunity for the world to come together to recognise the power and potential of girls – and challenge the inequalities they face. It is also a good time to start thinking about how to engage your pupils on this important and topical issue.
Millions of girls around the world are denied their basic rights – from the right to an education to the right to be protected from violence. As part of its Because I am a Girl campaign, Plan UK has developed a learning resource to help teachers deliver a lesson on girls' rights.
Getting school pupils to engage in girls' rights can be stimulating and will feed into a number of subjects, from geography to politics and citizenship. It can be a complex and abstract topic that is often quite intangible, however. So here are our top five hints for teaching girls' rights:
1. Global context
Before even considering what rights are and why they are important, pupils need to think in a global context. Everyone has human rights from birth – girl or boy. Asking pupils what they think are the differences between their own lives and the lives of girls around the world – particularly those living in poverty – is a really good starting point. Sharing experiences of visiting developing countries, countries that they or their families might be from or where they have been on holiday could help.
2. Girls just like them are denied their rights
It's important that your pupils understand that regardless of where they live, these girls are just like them, with similar hopes and dreams for the future. What separates those with access to their rights from those that don't can be as simple as where they were born.
Looking at case studies and videos of girls sharing their personal stories are really useful here. Plan UK has a series of case studies in its various lesson plans and videos that show the lives of girls in other countries.
Giving well-known examples, such as Malala Yousafzai, can also help. Watching videos of her speeches can be really powerful – to hear from someone their own age can help students relate to the issue.
Another useful technique is to talk to them about the UK's history. Laws now protect young people's right to education, ensure they are not forced to work at a young age and allow them to vote at 18. But this has not always been the case. Ask your students to consider what their lives would be like if this legislation was not in place.
3. Why do girls need to access basic rights?
It's really important that pupils understand why everyone has rights – not just what those rights are. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) website has lots of information about what human rights are and why we need them. Pupils need to understand that to live a safe, free and healthy life they need access to all their rights. Without rights, girls around the world can be forced into marriage, suffer violence and be denied an education.
In small groups get students to discuss case studies of girls who have had their rights denied. Ask them to think about the impact, not just on the individual, but also their family and communities. Get the groups to consider what would happen if all girls in the world were denied their rights – what would happen if no girls were able to go to school?
4. The role of men and boys
The challenges facing girls around the world every single day will only be resolved when everyone works together to tackle them. Men and boys play a crucial role in this and it's really important that your pupils are aware of this. It's also very important that men and boys are not alienated from this subject and are fully involved in the discussions.
Explain how everyone benefits from a more just and equal world. Look at the teachers' notes with Plan's lesson materials for more details.
5. They have the power to change things
Once your pupils understand what girl's rights are and the situation of girls across the world, it's important to empower them and show that they can make a difference. There are many ways that young people can help make this change. Plan UK has a schools pack that outlines clearly how to get involved in our Because I am a Girl campaign, you can find our lesson plan here and check out this photograph gallery to help with your case studies.
Amelia Whitworth is the youth advocacy adviser at Plan UK.