[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 149 (Friday, October 9, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1464]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                REGARDING INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL

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                         HON. CHRIS VAN HOLLEN

                              of maryland

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 9, 2015

  Mr. VAN HOLLEN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of the 
International Day of the Girl and to advocate for robust funding for 
programs that benefit the education of refugee children in general and 
refugee girls in particular.
  Today, there are more forcibly displaced people roaming the earth 
than at any other time since World War II. 60 million men, women and 
children currently qualify as refugees. One in every two is under the 
age of 18 and about 50% of them are girls. While the U.S. is a generous 
supporter of global aid programs, less than 10% of that aid goes to 
education and less than 2% goes to educate children trapped in 
emergencies.
  Many refugee children have no schools nearby to attend and in those 
cases where education is an option, refugee children face significant 
challenges such as overcrowding, language barriers and the lack of 
learning materials. As a consequence, many refugee children around the 
world do not receive the quality education they need to survive as 
adults. Access to education is especially vital for young girls who are 
six times more likely to marry as children if access to secondary 
education is unavailable to them. Those who fall between the cracks 
often become victims of human trafficking and child labor.
  The average refugee is displaced from their home for 17 years. 
Without an adequate education, refugee children can become economically 
handicapped for life. They grow up without the skills to earn a living 
or support a family. According to the Girl Up organization, every 
additional year of secondary education completed by refugees results in 
a 10% increase in earnings. Every bit of the support we provide can 
help break the cycle of poverty that threatens the majority of 
refugees.
  That is why I rise on this International Day of the Girl to commend 
groups like Girl Up and organizations like UNICEF and UNHCR for all 
they do to support refugees and especially for their support of 
childhood education.

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