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On December 19, 2011, United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 as the International Day of the Girl Child (IDGC).
Globally, women all over the world are joining other UN agencies, civil society, and girls around the world to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child under the theme “Digital generation Our generation.”
They said: “Together, we’re calling for equal access to the internet and digital devices for girls’ and targeted investments to facilitate opportunities for girls’ to safely and meaningfully access, use, lead and design technology.
“On this International Day of the Girl Child, let us work together to ensure that girls are connected, supported and empowered so that we are co-leading the journey of digital transformation.”
I, the ex-presidential candidate of Mass Action Joint Alliance (MAJA), Princess Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies, have joined the hosts of celebrants on the celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child in Nigeria stating however, that in practical terms, the celebration is undesirable and lamentable as the days are evil in Nigeria, for the Girl Child.
For instance, “The National Youth Leader, Congress of Northern Nigeria Christians (CNNC), has said most Christian girls in Northern Nigeria are in captivity”, mourning in a press release titled: “Girl Child Day: Our girls are in captivity – Northern Christians lament.”
“The Youth Leader, Engr. Daniel Kadzai, said Christian girls are being kidnapped in boarding schools across northern States almost on a daily basis.
“Kadzai stated this on Wednesday as Nigeria joins the rest of the world to commemorate the International Day of the Girl-Child.”
He laments that there is nothing to celebrate as the country ranks bottom six globally in child welfare, and bottom 10 for girls flourishing, an index that is worrisome owing to the fact that the Girl Child in Nigeria has no protection from the government.
According to him, “the country may remain underdeveloped if it fails to address the problems of marginalisation, abuse and exploitation of the Girl Child.
“Girls should be entitled to a life free of violence and discrimination, and deserve equal opportunity for access to education and health to prepare them as future leaders.
“The issues hampering the girl child are still very much in place and the last few years have seen a steady rise in the number of girls being sexually abused and suffering other forms of abuse and molestations”.
Kadzai further specifically disclosed that “2,146 girls have suffered abuse in the last two years while almost 300 suffered defilement and rape.
“Girl children are facing emotional abuse, molestation, harassment, child abuse, neglect and zero parental care in addition to the already pre-existing issues they face.
“We have to do more to stem this deplorable number of rising abuse our girl children are facing and it behooves on everyone to play their part”, he pleaded.
In Nigeria, the Nigerian Girl Child, a vulnerable individual, is widely exposed to a range of abuses and harmful traditional practices in the society especially in the Northern region.
Girls in Northern Nigeria suffer more compared to boys in terms of missing out in education, abuses and harmful traditional practices.
A report shows that in the North East only 41 per cent of eligible girls receive primary education while 47 per cent receive it in the North West which is greatly caused by social attitudes.
Poor access to schools, water, sanitation and hygiene remain a major challenge of the Girl Child, contributing significantly to high level of early marriage, street hawking, escorting beggars among others.
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A national survey in 2014 found that six out of 10 girl child reported having suffered one or more forms of violence before reaching 18 years of age, with 70 per cent of those experiencing multiple incidents of violence from their parents, guardians and house mates.
We would recall that “Nigeria has the largest number of child brides in Africa. Approximately 23 million girls and women were married as children;” while accurate, up-to-date data is difficult about the Girl Child situation, where so many millions have left their homes, scattered as refugees or are in IDPs, one clear truth is that girls have been affected acutely by the insurgency in the North.
Insecurity in Northern Nigeria also contributes significantly, with millions displaced by Boko Haram activities and bandits in some parts of especially Benue, Niger, Borno, Yobe , Adamawa, Zamfara, Katsina and Sokoto states.
I also noted that, the living conditions and survival of the Girl Child in Nigeria and the preferential treatment of boy children need be thoroughly reviewed in light of the theme for this year.
Girls are discriminated against in Nigeria in access to educational opportunity, care, freedom, food and nutrition. They carry a heavy burden of farm work and house work.
I hereby plead with the government and non-governmental organisations to come to the aid of the girl child in Nigeria. How do we address the theme “Digital generation is our generation”, in the mist of these backwardness and contradictions.
The problems are countless, further, girls are married off at early ages, which interferes with their education or acquisition of skills needed for survival and beliefs must be changed about the value of girl children.
Rapid economic development is dependent upon elimination of gender bias and so the girl child suffers. We should know that female education would serve as an investment to a greater society, in terms of development, and especially it will help to facilitate the achievement of family planning objectives, which Nigeria needs now especially in Northern Nigeria as well as the production of healthier children.
Thus, the Girl Child, as others, would need to be cared for, their nutrition to be improved. Illegal child labour would need to be abolished, early marriage would need to be outlawed, and abduction of school girls will need to stop and finally end.
A national girl child commission would need to be set up for defending the rights of the girl child in an educational, social, cultural, political, and economic context.
Parents have an important role to fulfill in helping female children achieve the basic necessities of survival and development and in learning about the fundamentals of child development and care.
Schools, Teachers, other institutions and Women’s groups also have an important role to play in focusing attention on various problems confronting girl children.
Government would need to focus more resources on reducing the inequalities between boys and girls, change discriminatory laws, and establish political stability. International aid would need to be increased and be directed to female child survival, and invariably we would have a better world.
Happy International Day of the Girl Child!
Amb. (Bishop) Prof. Mercy Funmilayo Adesanya-Davies is the newly appointed country president of United Nations Positive livelihood Award Centre (UN-POLAC) and the Chairperson of Prof. Mercy Ade-Davies International Foundation (PMADIF).
Reference:
Girl Child Day: Our girls are in captivity northern Christians lament
