The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision.pdf - Tanzania ...

identified in the case studies that follow will not simplyresolve themselves; action will need to be taken to addressthe multitude of pressures that create high drop-out ratesand limit academic opportunities. The primary responsibilityfor this action rests with national governments, butother actors, particularly multilateral and bilateral donors/lenders, will play a key role in determining success.Governments and donors must take seriously the dailyexperiences of girls in communities like those studied forthese case studies; not least among their priorities is theneed for public education. The challenge of changing attitudesis daunting but must be faced if the world of the girlchildis to change. It is a challenge for which broad coalitionswill be needed, with civil society and faith groupsresponding to the need for positive messages.This report, therefore, calls on national policy-makers, andalso international institutions such as the World Bank, toact creatively in relation to girls and service provision by:1. Creating a bench-mark for the treatment of girls inrelation to the state and community through the incorporationof the Convention on the Rights of the Childinto domestic law and its adoption by institutions suchas the World Bank as part of their programme-planningprocess.2. Aggressively pursuing public education and awarenessprogrammes that promote the opportunities that areavailable for girls in learning and careers and institutingnational plans to overcome the low expectationsof girls in relation to services.3. Promoting the principle of ‘empowered siblings’ thatfamilies should seek to enable all siblings to make themost of their educational opportunities by achievingthe division of household tasks that gives the fairestchance to all.4. Enabling governments to enhance the monitoring ofthe labour undertaken by girls in both the formal andthe informal sectors and its impact on their education.5. Encouraging governments to undertake consistent andintentional inclusion of children’s participation, includinggirls’ participation, in all new social-sector programmesand initiatives.6. Developing deliberate strategies to create safe environmentsfor girls – in schools and other provisionareas.7. Encouraging all development actors to promote theeducation of men and boys regarding effective accessto service provision for girls.8. Promoting systematic partnerships and informationsharing among all actors involved in the welfare of girls,including UN agencies such as UNICEF, ILO andUNESCO along with the World Bank and state structure.8 The Girl-Child and Government Service Provision