Desiree Cooper dedicated her column to the United Nations panel discussion on global literacy that was held at Wayne State University on Tuesday. A panel of women participated as part of the United States Mission to the United Nations. Their message was a follow-up to first lady Laura Bush's White House Conference on Global Literacy held on Sept. 18. Moriah Yeakulah of Liberia was one of the six women from the developing world - including Indonesia, India, Afghanistan and El Salvador - who spoke about the challenges and struggles facing young women who strive to achieve an education. "The world is blind to us," said Yeakulah, adding that cultural norms often make girls invisible, while poverty makes them vulnerable. "Teachers demand sexual favors of girls in exchange for tuition or grades," she said. "The exploitation forces some to drop out. Education is the light, but when they leave school, the light is shut off."