Giles Watling, MP for Clacton, questioned the Prime Minister, Rt Hon Theresa May MP, on the issue of girls’ education around the world during Prime Minister’s Questions on 14th June 2018.
Giles has previously asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Rt Hon Boris Johnson MP, about this same issue, and heard how the UK is a leading campaigner for girls’ education at the UN, the G7 and the G20. The UK remains at the forefront of these efforts, and the Prime Minister announced a further £212 million for girls’ education at the recent Commonwealth summit in April 2018.
At the recent G7 summit in Quebec, there was a special session focused on empowering and supporting women and girls around the world. The summit recognised that efforts to tackle global poverty are fundamentally undermined for as long as millions of girls are not getting the education they deserve. Consequently, the United Kingdom has committed an additional £187 million of new funding to help over 400,000 girls in developing countries get twelve years of quality education.
Giles welcomed this announcement in his question, which you can read below:
Giles Watling
"As a father of twin girls who, as they are happily growing up in Clacton, enjoyed a very equal upbringing and education, I celebrate the announcement at the G7 supporting girls’ education. Does my right hon. Friend agree that we should support equality for women across the globe?"
The Prime Minister
"I am very happy to join my hon. Friend in agreeing with that and in saying that there are many ways in which we can express that and put it into practice, not just in supporting girls’ education but in the work we are doing on modern slavery. Modern slavery affects men as well as women, but we see many women from around the globe being trafficked into other countries for sexual or labour exploitation, and we are leading the fight to ensure they have equality and are not put into that position."
Watch the question here.