Poverty affects millions of people around the world — but women and girls are hit the hardest.
A moving new one-minute video by ONE, a campaigning and advocacy organization aiming to end extreme poverty and preventable disease, proves why.
While the topics of gender equality have been a hot topic for a number of years, "there’s nowhere on earth where women have the same opportunities as men," the group says — and it's a huge problem.
"We want this video to be a clear message that issues like child marriage and girls’ access to education MUST be included in the call for gender equality," ONE wrote on their blog.
"In Sub-Saharan Africa, girls without an education are five times more likely to to be married by the time they are 18," they later penned in the entry. "They are 7 per cent less likely to complete secondary education than boys, and are less likely to be given the opportunity to participate in, or contribute to, their countries’ economies."
According to ONE, 130 million girls around the world are currently not enrolled in school.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shared similar views last year when he made a statement saying poverty affects women and girls differently and declared that he will stand as a leader for the cause.
"As a feminist, I know that women must be treated equally everywhere," Trudeau said.
"Canada’s commitment to the Global Fund is the first step on a path toward a new global policy that prioritizes equal treatment of girls and women," he also said in the open letter. "Investing in health will enable girls and women to survive and flourish, including by making key contributions to ending extreme poverty for everyone."
Watch the poignant video below.
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