The Girl Child is the mother of tomorrow and therefore should be well equipped to face the challenges of motherhood. This means that the place of the Girl Child should not be seen as inferior to that of her male counterpart.
In our African society a woman who does not give birth to a male child is usually seen as not “blessed” irrespective of the number of female children she has. The irony of it all is that at the end of the day it is the female children who cater for their parents most.
The importance of training the child cannot be overemphasized. No wonder the United Nations has set aside 11th October of every year to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. In this year’s celebration which had its theme as “With Her: A Skilled Girl Force”, Civil Societies and Women Organizations like Nigerian Association Of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), International Federation Of Women Lawyers (FIDA), Medical Women Association of Nigeria (MWAN) organized a road walk, which provided an opportunity to sensitize men and women on the importance of empowering the Girl Child as well as educating them on the legal rights and health of the Girl Child.
A Girl Child should be trained in such a way that she should be able to support herself,her husband and her family financially, emotionally and otherwise. She should be able to know her rights as a girl and as a woman. She should be able to see herself as special species and not created to play the second fiddler or always take the second place in the scheme of things.
In affirming that a girl today is a woman, wife, worker, mother, grandmother, tomorrow, the wife of the Executibe Governor of Rivers State, Justice Nyesom Wike in her statement to comnemorate this year’s International Day Of The Girl Child stressed the need to equip her for the challenging journey ahead.
She disclosed that many girls face roadblocks on their journey to adulthood. Child marriage and adolescent pregnancy force millions of girls to drop out of school. Harmful laws and social norms curtail girls’ knowledge of and autonomy over their own bodies. Entrenched gender discrimination can lay the foundation for a lifetime of missed opportunities. All of these she noted, can change, as we enlighten our girls of a different future that is possible and prepare them to lead the way.
The sensitizations being carried out by Civil Societies and Women Organisations are yeilding results as can be seen in the increased number of girls attending school today but many are still not getting the skills necessary for lifelong success.
The Chair person of FIDA in Rivers State, Barr. Anthonia Osademe also hinted that that the abuses against the girl child have slightly reduced compared to the past. She said the reduction was achieved due to sensitizations and education as the girls are now aware of their rights. This is a cheering news for the women folk.
On her part, the Chairperson of NAWOJ, Mrs Lilian Okonkwo expressed happiness that progress has been recorded in promoting the cause of the girl child in Rivers State. She noted that campaigns against the abuse of the Girl Child have been so impactful as the issue of female genital mutilation has greatly reduced in various communities in the state.
It is estimated that in five years time, over one-third of the abilities considered important in today’s workforce will change this may be unconnected to why the Secretary General recently launched Youth 2030, a strategy that aims to work with youths, understand their needs and help put their ideas into action.
On this year’s International Day of the Girl, the UN Secretary General calls for a recommitment to support every girl to develop her skills, enter the workforce on equal terms and reach her full potential.
A World Bank study found that every year of secondary school education is correlated with an 18 percent increase in a girl’s future earning power. Research has also proved that educating girls has a multiplier effect: better educated women tend to be healthier, participate more in the formal labour market, earn more income, give birth to fewer children, marry at a later age, and provide better healthcare and education to their children. The World Bank Group is investing $2.5 billion over 5 years in education projects that directly benefit adolescent girls. The Bank claims that such empowerment for girls is central to the Bank Group’s development efforts. This is a god development and must be applauded.
Even the African Union has launched an initiative titled African Girls Can Code (AGCC). All these gestures are geared towards ensuring empowered Girl Child.
Around the world, millions of adolescent girls are waiting to claim their power and fulfil their potential. This makes it imperative for everybody to help them exercise their rights and realize their aspirations. We should invest in their health and education, their skills and their leadership, and then give them the opportunity to fly.
It is important to send girls to school but more importantly, to have them skilled. Remember that you can empower a girl even without a formal education and still create in them the mindset that they have equal opportunities with their male counterparts. There is need to give them the skill that will make them have more economic power. The Girl Child should be knowledgeable enough to be able to have control over their sexual and reproductive health.
