Prince Henry of Wales, also known as Prince Harry is in Nepal for his 5-day official visit. On Wednesday, the British Royal attended the Nepal Girl Summit in Kathmandu and gave a very powerful speech and addressed the issue on child marriage and the lack of education.
The young prince, alongside Nepal's first female President, Bidhya Devi Bhandari, was in attendance at the event. He spoke on behalf of young girls around the world who are currently going through difficult times in their lives. He stressed the role of education in the transformation of lives of millions of people in the community, and ultimately the whole country.
On #HarryinNepal last official day, PH will open the @Girlsummit with President Bhandari. pic.twitter.com/ulkGpPit6e
— Emily Andrews (@byEmilyAndrews) March 23, 2016
According to Refinery29, Prince Harry mentioned that there were 62 million girls who were deprived of education, and at least two-thirds of approximately 800 million people in the world not taught how to read or write were women. He also emphasized that the only way for inequality, illiteracy, and poverty among women can be stopped is through education.
"I believe it is vitally important for men like me to acknowledge this as loudly and openly as role models do like President Bhandari, the U.S. first lady Michelle Obama and activists like Malala," he said. The next issue the prince spoke about was the prevalence of child marriage in the country.
The Himalayan Times reported him talking about young girls being forced out of school and into getting married. Prince Harry also said that people need to acknowledge the fact that so many countries and cultures are not doing a good job at protecting the opportunities of young women and girls the same way they do for boys. He added saying that girls need to go through so many difficulties to get the opportunity they deserve.
"After marriage at young age, girls soon become locked in a cycle of illiteracy, poverty, ill health and ultimately powerlessness," he said, adding "Only education can break this cycle. When girls finish their schooling, they gain skills, knowledge and confidence. In short, they are empowered to improve their lives and the lives of everyone around them."
Prince Harry gives a traditional Namaste welcome at a reception hosted by the Government of Nepal in Kathmandu. He told the guests: "I know that I arrive in Nepal as you approach the first anniversary of the earthquakes that took so many lives. I pay my respects to those who perished and hope to do what I can to shine a spotlight on the reserve and resilience of the Nepali people. I want to show all those around the world who want to help that this country is open for business. I can't wait to get out there and see all this country has to offer." A photo posted by Kensington Palace (@kensingtonroyal) on Mar 19, 2016 at 9:36am PDT
The young prince also talked about his charity, Sentebale which has already helped thousands of children gain access to education and healthcare in Lesotho, South Africa and in Nottingham, England. He said he has seen how even just the smallest opportunity in keeping a child away from gangs, encouraging them to stay in school and on track to a more fulfilling and prosperous life.
