ONLY sixper cent of Afghan women 25 or older have received formal education. And only one out of every 100 women in the country’s rural areas can read and write.
These statistics spur Yarraville resident Rebecca Barber, 35, to work in the humanitarian field as an advocacy adviser for Save the Children Australia.
Speaking ahead of International Women’s Day tomorrow, Ms Barber says gender inequalities in health and education are significant in countries such as Afghanistan.
Having studied law, she became involved in human rights, which led her to the humanitarian relief and development sector.
“I really wanted to do something I would feel good about; help people and make a difference.”
Ms Barber has worked in many countries, including Sudan, and was with an international rescue committee in Indonesia following the 2010 tsunami and with a ‘judicial systems monitoring program’ in East Timor.
She’s happy to be back in Australia working with Save the Children to lobby the federal government, and the public, to improve the lives of children around the world. “I was ready to move back to Australia. I’ve been working internationally, hopping from one spot to another, for the best part of seven years,” she says.
“It’s pretty draining going from one conflict zone to the next.”
Eightyper cent of Save the Children’s workforce is female, reflecting, Ms Barber believes, that women may be more attracted to the sector’s caring nature.
But she says it becomes harder for women with young children to remain working in the field for aid agencies because they can’t travel as much or go to conflict zones.
While Ms Barber has never felt discriminated against within the organisations she’s worked for, she’s witnessed gender inequality in many countries.
She says while access to education in Afghanistan has improved in the past 10 years, there’s a long way to go.
“Still less than half of all primary school-aged girls attend school. The numbers drop off significantly once girls finish primary school.”
To mark International Women’s Day, the winners of the inaugural Inspirational Women awards will be announced at the Hobsons Bay Civic Centre on March 15.
