Education: Women
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the education of women and girls globally.
Answered by Stephen Doughty
The UK is committed to empowering women and girls around the world through our international work. We work through the humanitarian system, leveraging multilateral institutions' funding, and strategically deploying scarce resources to improve access to quality education, particularly for women and girls, through stronger systems.
In November 2024, the UK provided £14 million of support for Sudanese refugees through Education Cannot Wait. This reaches 200,000 vulnerable displaced children with education interventions in Sudan and Sudanese refugee populations in Central African Republic, Chad, Ethiopia, Libya, South Sudan and Uganda.
An estimated 60 million girls are sexually assaulted on their journey to, from and in school annually. In May 2025, the Minister for Africa launched the new Ministerial Taskforce on Ending Violence in and around Schools co-chaired by the UK and Sierra Leone. 11 countries endorsed a joint declaration committing to make violence prevention in and around schools a political priority.
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