An international panel of teens from Jordan, Armenia, Nepal, Thailand, Congo and Zambia described the discrimination and violence they have overcome in a “Girls Speak Out” session moderated by CBS Anchorwoman Katie Couric on Friday at the U.N. Commission on the Status of Women meeting.
           “Many of you who enjoy unparalleled opportunities in the United States will be educated and learn so much about the situation of other girls and women in other parts of the world,” Couric told the audience of mostly teens filling the Economic and Social Council chamber at the United Nations. “To change the world, you have to know the world.
           “Information is power. Knowledge is power. You have to understand situations, and usually they have to elicit outrage to promote change.”
           The panel included moving stories of trauma and injustice, which often brought the audience to tears.
           Alisha Schchathep, 17, from Thailand, explained how an estimated 800,000 girls under age 18 are working as prostitutes in her country. Poor parents, believing they are giving their daughters a better life, send them to work as domestics or in hair salons, but in reality the girls end in brothels.
           “Girls need to be empowered so they realize that they are important and not born simply to be used,” Alisha said.
           Golfidan Al Abassy, 18, from Jordan, called on leaders who help end discrimination against girls in families, schools and the workplace. She said that girls for girls to be empowered, they must participate in this struggle. However, work must be done to enlighten families to encourage girls to participate, create programs that encourage participation and adopt educational practices that focus on participation.
           “We are not helped to achieve our full capacity to face everyday obstacles,” she said. “I would like to ask that we work for the mobilization of the girls today and for the rest of time.”
           Madeleine, 15, from the Democratic Republic of Congo, was recruited by force as a combatant for her country’s militia, in which 25 percent to 30 percent of the soldiers are girls and most are 13-15 years old. In an emotional statement, she recounted in French the sexual abuse of female soldiers and the problem of reintegration into society.
           “She is asking herself, ‘what is their future,’” the translator said. “She is asking for forgiveness.
           Meline Ghazaryan, 16, from Armenia, described the difficulties confronting families with disabled children and the isolation that those children face. Secluded in special schools or institutions, the girls receive less education, little preparation for independence and are more likely to be physically or sexually abused.
           She called on government officials to enforce existing laws and insure inclusive education, society to work to change attitudes, and children to take a leadership role in creating inclusive environments.
           Memory Phiri, 18, from Zambia, openly explained how she had been raped when she was nine years old and now is infected with the HIV/AIDS. She asked for education to remove the stigma for victims like her, access to medicine for those who cannot afford it, punishment for offenders and education for men and boys so that they too believe that every human being is equal in the eyes of God.
           “Girls like me who have lost their childhood dreams and humanity watch their friends live carefree lives and enjoy.
           Sunita Tamang, 15, from Nepal, asked for a commitment and opportunities for child workers who may be excluded from school. She goes to school in the morning and must work in the local factory in the afternoon, assembling match boxes.
           “In my community it is not surprising to find girls and women lagging behind, especially in education,” she said. “Many feel it is a waste of resources because she will marry and go live in someone else’s house.”
           Responding to question from the audience, Couric conceded that the news media could be providing more coverage on these issues.
Co-moderator Jordana Alter Confino, co-founder of Girls Learn            International, an initiative involving American students in the international effort for universal girls' education, said that is unfortunate that it is necessary in 2007 for her generation to dedicate itself to eliminating violence against girls, a scourge that their mothers and grandmother thought would be a thing of the past for her generation.
           “Girls are not only victims, they are intentional targets, and they are targets because they are girls,” said Jordana, 16. “We are especially happy that we are not just the subject of this conference but that we are the voice of this conference. After all, who can tell the story of the girls better than the girls themselves?”
           Responding to question from the audience, Couric conceded that the news media could be providing more coverage on these issues.
           “I think many of these stories warrant a lengthy examination,” Couric said. “I certainly think we could do more of these stories and doing a better job than we are presently doing.
           “This is the beginning of the learning process for all of us,” Couric said. “I urge you to continue to learn about the plight of others like these young women here. There are a myriad of ways you can get involved. Learn more and develop relations with these brave young women who need our attention and support.”
           The “Girls Speak Out” forum was organized by the UNICEP, the U.N. Office of the Special Advisor on Gender Issues, the NGO Committee on the Status of Women and the NGO Working Group on Girls, of which S. Ann Scholz, SSND, is co-chair.