The Law of Fostering the Education of Rural Girls and Adolescents was passed in Peru's Congress on October 31, marking a first for the country and Latin America on many fronts.

Most importantly, the law transcends social and political gender barriers, said Manuel Bolourte of the nongovernmental organization (NGO) CARE in Peru.

The law aims to provide equal educational opportunities to all rural Peruvian girls under the age of 18 by the year 2006 and allots $248 USD for each girl each year, he said.

CARE is a member of FLORECER, a national girls' education network coalition that consists of 25 NGOs, government ministries and international aid agencies. FLORECER, which means "to blossom," spearheaded a campaign to promote the passage of this law for rural girls' education.

"Rural girls are doubly discriminated against," Bolourte said. "If the parents can send a child to school, they opt to send the son. The girls stay home caring for their siblings, cleaning the house or working in the fields," he said.

In Peru, South America's second-largest country, studies conducted by CARE and FLORECER show that the rates of girls in rural areas completing primary school are far lower when compared with all other children in the country. According to a CARE report, in the southern department of Ayacucho, 50 percent of women between the ages of 15 and 50 are illiterate, as compared to 18 percent nationally. Cultural and economic factors explain this high illiteracy rate, the report stated.

The new education law is designed particularly to confront such cultural and economic barriers that obstruct gender equality, Bolourte said.

The law includes a provision that establishes a national editorial commission that designs text books on sexuality and gender equality. Also, the law provides for free uniforms, breakfast, health insurance and text books for all students. "The promotion of education for girls, automatically benefits boys as well," he said.

Girls will be encouraged to learn about science and technology. The law also stipulates that each municipal government must create a commission and punish cases of sexual abuse of girls. Separate bathrooms for boys and girls are also mandated under the new law; especialy benefiting those schools that have no bathroom facilities at all, Bolourte said.

"One measure of the law is to carry out bilingual inter-cultural programs," Bolourte said. When Congresswoman Gloria Helfer began presenting the justification for this bill on the morning of October 31, she addressed the congress in her native, indigenous language. Two other Congresspeople followed suit. This was the first time Peruvian indigenous languages, like Quecha, were used during a congressional session. There was no translation, Bolourte said, because the Congress does not have Quecha translators.

Getting the law to be debated on the Congressional floor was an achievement in itself, Bolourte said. "Last year this law was presented to Congress and it wasn't even debated," he said, "but with the change in presidency we presented the law against this year and had to obtain 37 signatures from different groups."

This is the second challenge, it was not easy.

"There are many people in parliament who are machistas, who do not understand affirmative action," Bolourte said. FLORECER undertook an innovative campaign and used the press as their platform. They arranged interviews with rural girls and important media coverage in Peru¹s major papers helped tremendously in expressing the need for this law.

"The law is still not sufficient, that was one step. The next step is the implementation," Bolourte said. The implementation includes may tasks such as: promoting the program in each state, designating resources, and working to change the cultural mentality of most parents who do not see the need to send their girls to school, Bolourte said. Workshops for parents and teachers that undesrscore the importance of girls¹ education are a crucial element for the success of this law.

"I hope this law doesn¹t turn out like so many laws," Bolourte said, "which is merely words published but never put into practice."

"When the right to education becomes the norm in one country, the whole world can learn from the experience," says Ana María Robles, CARE education coordinator and FLORECER president. "This bill is a major boost towards educating the next generation and reducing poverty, especially in rural areas. But we still have a long way to go to realize its implementation."