Our wonderful people of Rivers State, welcome to yet another episode of Rivethics on Radio, our character-building weekend show. Remember that a strong woman looks at a challenge in the eye and gives it a wink.
Today’s episode is on the Empowerment of the Girl Child. The Empowerment of the Girl Child is so crucial to global development that it has been given prominence as Goal No. 5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, requiring the achievement of gender equality and empowerment of all women and girls by 2030. Indeed, the true worth of a nation must be measured by the empowerment of its girls. In the developing world, the life of the girl child is precarious. The following disturbing facts have been identified with the girl child in many nations:
o The birth of the girl child is usually a sad occasion in most communities.
o Many girls are kept out of school to take care of siblings and provide labour.
o Many teen girls are married off and impregnated before being fully developed.
o Many teen girls give birth to undernourished babies who then go through the same plight, and the vicious cycle continues.
Empowering girls to succeed requires diverse interventions in different developmental areas. For example:
o Providing economic opportunities for the Girl Child and her family.
o Educating women and girls formally and informally.
o Ensuring the availability of health services for women and girls.
o Making the safety and security of women a priority.
o Constantly addressing the challenges of gender inequality through equal opportunities.
Globally, there is a consciousness and awakening to the plight of the Girl Child as a victim of numerous societal vices. Therefore, we all should be intentional in ensuring that the girl child has the protection of basic rights that underscore her importance and relevance in society. This will give her the much-needed confidence to ignore life’s challenges and reach for excellence. Such rights include:
o The right to freedom from cultural practices, customs and traditions harmful to the child, including female genital mutilation.
o The right to protection from economic and sexual exploitation, prostitution and trafficking.
o The right to freedom from forced or early marriage.
o The right to equal rights to inheritance.
o The right to express opinion about plans or decisions affecting the child’s life.
The list goes on and on – of what we can do to empower the Girl Child to unleash her full potentials. Girls have the power to transform their own lives, their families, their communities and the world. All they need is the opportunity to prove their worth.
Our guest speaker today is the distinguished Mrs Sira-Teeh Ngbor, an advocate of Girl Child Rights and a Child Management specialist. She shall be sharing insights on the topic The Empowerment of the Girl Child. Please enjoy the episode.
Our respectable Rivers people, don’t forget to always let your manners speak for you.
God bless and keep you and your families and God bless Rivers State.
Her Excellency, Justice (Mrs.) Eberechi Suzzette Nyesom-Wike,
Wife of the Governor of Rivers State,
Initiator of RivEthics,
You can also listen to and download the Pidgin English version of this Episode below