-ADGAP President discloses
By Leila Gbati
The president of the Adolescent Girls Advisory Panel Member, Christina Queyou has urged parents, government, and national stakeholders to invest more in the future of girl children than considering her as a child-bearer.
Asserting that it is the most fundamental thing to do in uncovering the potential of a girl child.
“Investing in the full potential of a girl child is more fundamental than linking her future to a child bearing machine. It is more fundamental than underestimating the power of a girl child and subjecting her to dishes washing only, cooking, and being excused from playing with her male counterpart equally.” Miss. Queyou said.
Delivering the key-note address at the eleventh international day of the girl child, held on Tuesday, October 4, 2023, under the national theme “Invest in the protection of girls fundamental rights and promote self-confidence for all.” and global theme “Invest in girls right: Our leadership, our well being.” the president of the Adolescent Girls Advisory Panel Member said that:
Investment in the protection of a girl’s rights would mean acknowledging her rights to access quality education, to live a well-protected parenting or guarding life; to have access to food and medicals; to have the freedom to choose her choice that demonstrates passion, resilience, and uniqueness.
She added that the ‘protection’ needed must not also forget to focus on telling our children the importance of family but that ‘marriage’-at all cost is not the definition of life.
Also, she asserted that this will save them from living in slavery where men will no longer see marital commitment as a favor he’s doing to a lady.
Miss. Queyou stated that they need protection that explains in clear tune that gender inequality is not the symbol for a just world, that child labor will never remain a culture that underwrite family burden from such tender age.
The girl right advocate admonished young women to lift their voice in order to attain emancipation against the danger of silence.
“In case you are here and are yet to raise your voice on matter that concern a child, specifically, a girl child, I hereby issue you a yellow card. This card represents an early warning that if you continue being speechless and motionless, the danger ahead will only have a free passage to inflict more harms and wounds on young women and girls.”
She added, “Speak out, join the campaign to champion the cause that continue to put women and girls on the map. Enough is enough and we can only realize this when we get off our shelfs and become the voice of the voiceless, the hope for the hopeless. It is never too late to build a community movement that seeks the interest of young girls in our community teaching them the way to conquer their fear and address societal issues.”
Given a statistical analysis, Christiana Queyou provided that the latest global estimate reported by child protection group, indicates that of 160 million children, 63 million girls and 96 million boys were in child labour globally at the beginning of 2020, accounting for almost 1 in every 10 children worldwide.
According to her approximately, 5 children die every day because of child abuse and that 1 out of 3 girls and 1 out of 5 boys will be sexually abused before they reach age 18.90% of child sexual abuse victims know the perpetrator in some way. 68% are abuse by a family member.
A statistics she described sadden because it is an act of wickedness that does not only affect a particular nation but has become common in every space, border and culture.
Further adding that the situation is sufficient enough to declare global emergencies.
At the same time she added that, the Ministry of Gender, children and social protection’s annual statistical report on gender based violence (GBV)- 2023 accounted that over 1,975 cases were reported in 2022, 73.7% of which were rape, sexual assault and other forms of sexual violations.
She stated that there is a need to change approach in challenging harmful stereotypes, gender norms and that limit the aspirations of young girls and women.
Furthermore, she added that said approach will transform more young girls from the status of Nurse to medical doctors, more engineers, young female pilots, geologists and IT specialists to raise the bars and break the tides that women cannot.
“We must change our approach in challenging harmful stereotypes, gender norms and that continue to limit the aspirations of young girls and women.
The approach we take today will transform more young girls from the status of Nurse to medical doctors, more engineers, young female pilots, geologists and IT specialists to raise the bars and break the tides that women cannot.”
Meanwhile, she added that the commemoration of the international Day of a girl child must introduce the readiness young women to address challenges and issues affecting women and girls more specifically and sincerely to ensuring all are free and confidence are built.
On December 19 2011, The United Nations General Assembly adopted
resolution 66/170 to declare October 11 of each year “the International
Day of the Girl Child” and since 11th October 2012, the day has been observed Worldwide.
Prominent among reasons for the establishment of this day, is to promote girls’ human rights, highlights gender inequalities that exist between girls and boys and addressing issues confronting girls around the world (which include all forms of discrimination and abuse
suffered by girls.
There are over 1.1 billion girls who are part of a large and vibrant global
generation ready to take on the future. However, many girls do not have
access to the career guidance or training they need to make the transition from school to work.
For example, young men tend to have
greater access to apprenticeships in a wider range of occupations than
young women. Women entrepreneurs also face greater barriers in
access to finance and other skills that are essential for leading a
profitable business.
