HerAtlas: UNESCO’s interactive tool helping advance girls’ right to education

On the occasion of Malala Day, as we reflect on the inspiring journey of this champion for girls’ and women’s right to education, it is crucial to acknowledge the ongoing global challenges in ensuring education for all, especially for girls.

The Universal Declaration of Human Rights affirms that education is a fundamental right for every individual. However, the harsh reality is that millions of children around the world, including girls, are still deprived of this basic right.

UNESCO launched HerAtlas in 2019—an innovative online tool that empowers global citizens, policy-makers, and education advocates as a monitoring mechanism to track and promote the right to education for girls and women. The tool presents data in an accessible manner, utilizing interactive maps, graphs, and indicators to monitor key aspects of education, such as free and compulsory education, protection against school related gender-based violence or the right to education of pregnant and parenting girls.

Originally depicting the state of the art as of 2019, the tool is consistently updated to present evolving situations in countries across the globe. Noteworthy progress has already been underscored, including a decrease in the number of countries imposing restrictions on the right to education for pregnant, parenting, and married girls.

The recent turn of events in Afghanistan have not only brought education, particularly for girls, into sharp focus, but have also underscored the imperative need for a tool like HerAtlas. It enables the documentation of improvement and setbacks, by comparing past and current legislation, shedding light on progress and regression in educational rights.

The analysis of the information contained in HerAtlas is also available in a quantitative format, to have another reading of the information provided.

HerAtlas serves as a powerful advocacy tool, facilitating evidence-based decision-making and empowering stakeholders to address education disparities. By providing a comprehensive and real-time view of education, HerAtlas enables governments, civil society organizations, and individuals to identify gaps, implement targeted interventions, and drive legal reforms to ensure equitable access to education for all.