Women rank below men in all sustainable development indicators, according to the UN. Around 300,000 women die annually in the world from pregnancy and childbirth-related causes.1In sub-Saharan Africa, hundreds of thousands of girls may not go back to school due to teenage pregnancies that began during Covid-19 lockdowns.2 Some 200 million girls and women globally have undergone FGM, seriously harming their physical and mental health. Millions more are victims of domestic violence and have few career prospects.
But international charity Right to Play harnesses the power of play and other activities to teach boys and girls, in some of the most difficult and dangerous countries on earth, about the importance of gender equality. To help a new generation grow up knowing that it can’t let the oppression of women continue.
The World Health Organisation has identified Right to Play’s methods as particularly effective at preventing gender-based violence. We spoke to Sana Mahmud, Project Manager, Pakistan about it.
Q - What is the motive and vision of Right To Play?
Right To Play works to protect, educate & empower children to rise above adversity by harnessing the power of play. We work in 14 countries in Southeast Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Every year we reach 2.3 million children with life-changing programmes that help children to stay in school and graduate, resist exploitation and overcome prejudice, keep themselves safe from disease, and heal from the harsh realities of war and abuse. We aim to reach 100 million children by 2030; we want a world where children claim their rights and futures.
Q - How can Right To Play act as an anchor for the post-pandemic crunch in jobs and unemployment to help people in learning skills and moving forward?
Right To Play is empowering children to claim their right to an education. We recognise it is fundamental for them to be equipped with knowledge and skills that will allow them to grow into healthy and accomplished adults. The United Nations have calculated that 17 trillion dollars will be lost in lifetime earnings due to the school disruptions seen in the last two years. Children who are out of school for long periods are less likely to return to school, and some might enter the workforce prematurely as the economic condition of their families worsen. In addition, children in developing nations experience more difficulties accessing remote learning. As a result of lower education levels, they risk being pushed to hazardous low paying jobs. Thus, our priority is to help children safely return to the classroom. Then, our focus is on supporting them through learning recovery programmes.
We have been delivering remote learning programmes through the internet, tv, and radio for the past two years. Additionally, we have trained coaches visiting children at risk of abuse, childhood marriage and forced labour.
Q - What approach does Right To Play take in tackling prejudice, disease, and war trauma?
Each year, we support 200,000 refugee and displaced children in more than 92 refugee camps, shelters, and settlements in Thailand, Palestine, and worldwide. We fight to change their stories from ones of grief and loss to ones of hope. We fight to give them back their education, creating fun, playful, and welcoming classrooms. We fight to help them overcome trauma by teaching them how to cope with difficult emotions and helping their friends do the same. And we fight to give them back their dreams by creating spaces where they can be children again. We fight so their stories can be ones of not just surviving but succeeding.
We have been working with the Karen refugee population in Thailand. We started running youth groups to provide children & youth with safe spaces to build community with their peers and learn skills like conflict resolution and teamwork.
Then is a teenager living alone in one of the camps since his family stayed in Myanmar. He was struggling to cope with his situation and his mental health suffered. Fortunately, he joined a Right To Play programme that trained him to become a youth leader. Then he found a sense of purpose in helping others deal with adversity. Through play & creative dynamics, he has learned to cope with difficult circumstances and found a mission to push forward for.
Q - How can playground games boost gender equality?
Games can promote gender equality by creating spaces where boys and girls are treated equally. Children can often understand abstract concepts better when presented through creative play. For example, we encourage girls to take leadership roles during team dynamics, boosting their confidence and showcasing to boys how they are all equal. We change the rules to traditional games making girls the only ones allowed to score. At the end of every play session, we draw on reflections and provide space for girls to talk and share. Often their communities don't provide women with spaces to express their thoughts; therefore, it is essential to empower them to lead today and in the future.
Q - What kind of prejudices does the BAME community have when it comes to girls and playground games?
There is a tendency to value girls for what they can do as wives rather than on their own. As a result, they are often under pressure to care for the home and siblings. Family manners take a front seat, while education and playing fall into the background.
Moreover, harmful traditional practices like childhood marriage impede girls from living childhood to the fullest. Married girls are more likely to retrieve to the home and stop engaging with their peers as they are pressured to grow into adults prematurely.
The situation worsens when other axes of discrimination overlap; refugee girls are more likely to be married off to provide them with financial stability and are more likely to become victims of sexual abuse while living in refugee camps.