Good morning everyone, it’s an incredible delight to be here with you this morning. Can I too start by acknowledging the Ngunnawal people and Ngambri people as the traditional custodians of the lands upon which we meet today here in the Canberra region, and to pay my respects to their elders, past, present and emerging. Can I also take a moment to thank World Vision for organising this event? And it is an absolute pleasure also to see some of my colleagues here, and if I could in particular acknowledge the Senator Katy Gallagher, the Minister for Women, among the many other hats that she wears as well, and Sussan Ley, the Honourable Sussan Ley, the Leader of the Opposition.
Advancing the rights of girls across the world, as you say, should not be a partisan issue. And so, I'm pleased to see so many parliamentarians from across different parties here this morning. The International Day of the Girl is celebrated across the world on the 11th of October. It's a chance for the global community to come together and to recommit to supporting and empowering girls to realise their full potential. Sadly, many girls across the world are still forced to live with violence, forced to live entrapped lives and bound in roles not of their choosing, forced to give up their dreams. Dreams which might have taken them to a completely different life, a completely different trajectory. So, we're not quite yet in October, but efforts to achieve equality and opportunity for girls can't just be contained to a singular day. The challenges girls face are persistent and they are systematic. And overcoming these requires a deliberate and sustained effort. And I'm a firm believer that every individual, every single one of us, has the power to make a difference.
Now I was born the second girl child in a place and in a time where war marks time and where the birth of a second girl child is not greeted with congratulations, but with commiserations. But today I stand here as an Australian Government Minister. I stand here as a woman who has been the beneficiary of that power of an individual. And in my life, that individual was my maternal grandfather, Mahmoud Osman. My maternal grandfather, Mahmoud Osman was a very simple man. I never got to meet him. He died before I was born. But he never had the opportunity for an education. He sold textiles from a small shop on the main road of the small village where my mother was born, El Minya, which is 200 kilometres south of Cairo. And the men who would come into my grandfather's shop would tell him that his three daughters didn't need an education. They would tell him that all his three daughters needed was to learn how to cook and how to clean, and how to look after their husbands.
But Mahmoud Osman would not be changed. Mahmoud Osman insisted that his three daughters finish school. Mahmoud Osman, my grandfather, insisted that my mother, his youngest daughter, finish school and go to nursing school. So much so that before she'd even finished high school, he had enrolled her in Kasr Al-Ainy nursing school in Cairo. And the day that she finished school, he presented her with her nurse's uniform, and he said, “You are going to Kasr Al-Ainy”. And he drove her the 200 kilometres to this hospital, to the nursing hospital in Cairo. And my grandfather, Mahmoud Osman, stood at the gates of the hospital and the matron came out and told him, you can leave your daughter here, we will look after her for the next three years. And Mahmoud Osman said, I am not going anywhere until I see where my daughter will be sleeping for the next three years. And the matron said to him, well, that's not allowed because men aren't allowed in the nurses’ quarters. And Mahmoud Osman said, well, I'm from Minya and I am stubborn, and we are known for being stubborn. And I will sit here until you allow me to see where my daughter will be sleeping for the next three years. So, legend has it that my grandfather, Mahmoud Osman, is the only man to ever be allowed into the nurses’ quarters of Kasr Al-Ainy hospital in Cairo.
But there it is. Through the love of a father. My mother, at a time when women weren't expected to get an education, finished school and got an education because he was committed to ensuring that his daughters did better than being the daughters of a textile trader on the main road in El Minya. My mum eventually retired, having worked as a director of nursing in some of Australia's major hospitals. And it took a generation. But my grandfather, thinking against the grain, gave my entire family social mobility. Entire family. In 2025, decades after Mahmoud Osman has passed away, we need more people to be like Mahmoud Osman, like my grandfather, whether they be men or women, mums or dads, brothers or sisters or aunts and uncles, or indeed political, community or faith leaders. But more simply, we need people to understand that human rights are universal, that all girls deserve to live a life that is free from violence and free from forced marriage. That all girls deserve to be able to access an education. And sadly, these are issues that still affect the lives of so many girls in so many societies around the world.
Now, a few weeks ago, we acknowledged the fourth anniversary of the Fall of Kabul, and we are seeing one of the world's worst examples of gender discrimination in Afghanistan, a situation which tragically continues to unfold. Over the last four decades, the Taliban has systematically eroded fundamental human rights, especially for women and girls. And girls in Afghanistan being unjustly deprived of education. The Taliban is seeking to silence an entire generation of Afghan girls, seeking to deny them a future and seeking to erase them from public life. And unfortunately, girls are all too often disproportionately impacted by disasters and conflict. The reports we're now seeing from Afghanistan following the devastating earthquake this week are incredibly disturbing, and my heart goes out to all the Afghan people. The earthquake has exacerbated the already dire humanitarian crisis, and Australia is working with partners to establish the extent of the damage and the needs. But among all this tragedy, as is usually the case, there is also inspiration.
And if I could take a moment to acknowledge that inspiration right here and to acknowledge two very special women here today. Firooza Amiri and Nahida Sapan, the co-captains of the Afghan Women's XI cricket team. Australia is so proud to host you and your teammates. Now, I'm going to let them tell the story, because it's their story. But I will just say this: the Afghanistan Women's XI cricket team is a beacon, a beacon of courage and resilience in the face of immense adversity. But the thing is that no girl and no woman should ever have to face this kind of adversity. The Taliban's contempt for the fundamental freedoms of girls and women is completely unacceptable. And Australia will continue to stand by the people of Afghanistan, and in particular the girls and the women of Afghanistan. We will be a consistent voice on the international stage, calling for the Taliban to end its egregious treatment of girls and women. And this is why Australia, together with Canada, Germany and the Netherlands, has taken unprecedented legal action to hold Afghanistan to account for violations of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women. More broadly, Australia is committed to ensuring the rights of girls right across the world. Our International Gender Equality Strategy brings together all arms of Australia's foreign policy, from bilateral engagements to multilateral diplomacy or trade and economic cooperation, to advance equality for girls and women.
Gender equality is also at the front and centre of Australia's international development policy. All our major development programs must now have a gender equality objective, because no country and no society can be all it can be without equality and opportunity for girls. Through partners like World Vision, in places like Kalila in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Australia is supporting efforts to empower girls. Under one project, eight new library facilities have been built to give girls access to the sort of learning materials we would take for granted here in Australia. One nine-year-old Congolese, Amandine, now spends a lot of her time reading in her new library space. And in her own words, she said, “This is the first year I have such marks. This is thanks to the books in the library. It is also thanks to the textbooks that I continue reading at home after school.” So, you see, girls are already working on creating the world they want to live in. But the rest of the world also has a part to play. And so, let's all play a part each and every day. I want to end by wishing World Vision the very best for your 1000 Voices For 1000 Girls campaign. Such an important cause, and you have our support. Thank you and enjoy the rest of your day.