My name is Arige Meri. I'm Syrian, 29-years-old. I have a Master's degree in the field of law, specialising in human rights. I was raised in a well-educated family, I have 4 sisters. My father teaches us that education is a weapon – it will always keep us on the safe side.

Flickr/Evgeni Zotov. Some rights reserved.I think that gender discrimination is the principle reason for the lack of education. Through my experience, I saw many of my female cousins and their friends dropping out of school, destroying their aspiration and getting married at a young age. All of these, they then just stay at home like housewives, raising their children, with limited resources from their husbands. From that point, I stand up for girls’ right to education and I believe if you are a well-educated person, you inspire children and people around you.

We can make a huge difference worldwide.

And if you educate a girl, you educate a family, and a whole nation. That's our need and the basic right for every person to engage in this society. And all together, we can make a huge difference worldwide, by working together to build a better, safer, and more united world, in which our people can find their place. 

openDemocracy will be at this year's World Forum for Democracy, exploring the relationship between education and democracy with a citizens’ newsroom. Register here.