Keeping Girls in School Act

Futures Without Violence is a proud supporter of the Keeping Girls in School Act of 2021. The bill has bipartisan support in both houses of congress. It was re-introduced in June of 2021 by Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) and Rob Portman (R-OH) in the Senate and Representatives Lois Frankel (D-FL) and Mike Waltz (R-FL) in the House.

The Keeping Girls in School Act would direct the U.S. government to leverage its resources and partnerships with private institutions, NGOs and federal agencies to create solutions that address the obstacles facing adolescent girls. The bill would also require the development of a U.S. Global Strategy to Empower Adolescent Girls to ensure that the United States remains committed to adolescent girls as a critical demographic in the growth of every nation, especially in developing nations.

We are proud to be one of 74 organizations urging the House Foreign Affairs Committee to markup the legislation and pass it out of committee. As the statement notes, an estimated 11 million girls will not return to school due to the pandemic, and the effects of a girls’ loss of education include greater likelihood that they will be married as children and greater likelihood of experiencing sexual violence and adolescent pregnancy. The Keeping Girls in School Act directs the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to address the barriers adolescent girls face in accessing a quality secondary education in countries where girls are disproportionately more likely to drop out of school than boys. International development projects authorized by this Act will respond to new barriers that have emerged over the last year, such as inequitable access to digital learning resources, in addition to pre-existing barriers that prevent girls from staying enrolled in school and completing their education.

Take Action Here. Contact your Member of Congress and tell them to cosponsor the Keeping Girls in School Act.