International Day of The Girl Child: ICI-GWODEF Calls for Protection of Girls’ and Women’s Rights.

A girl is defined as a female child between the periods of infancy and adulthood, during which time she is in the custody and under the supervision of adults (who may be parents, guardians or older and more mature siblings), who are able to influence her as she develops. The environment also plays a huge part among the early influences of the child. Through observation and imitation of people around her, and her overall engagement with the rest of the society, she develops her unique behavioral patterns and character traits.

These days, the girl-child faces an array of problems and challenges, thanks to a multiplicity of factors. What are these factors?

These questions come into bold relief among relevant stakeholders as the world marks the International Day of the Girl Child. As part of its observance of the Day, the International Charitable Initiative for Girl Child and Women Development Foundation (ICI-GWODEF) organized a number of activities to enhance public awareness of the rights of the girl-child, as well as to honour a number of notable individuals in the society who have dedicated their time, energy and resources to the struggle against the abuse and molestation of women and girls, and the denial of their fundamental rights.

Present at the event were the Chief Magistrate of Lagos State, Mrs. Kikelomo Bukola Ayeye; the immediate past chairperson of FIDA, Barr. Mrs. Ngozi Ogbolu; former treasurer of NBA Lagos Branch, Mrs. Uche Ikwueme; the Editor In-Chief of Newswire Law and Events Magazine, Barr. Gloria Ireka; both Chairpersons of the 2019 International Day of a Girl-Child, Barr. Mrs. Ify Uzokwe and Barr. Ifeyinwa Udemadu; Convener, Internet Safe Kids Africa, Mrs. Confidence Osein; Lady Kehinde Olufunke Oke; Barr. Mrs. Latifat Salau; Rev. Commander Richard Obaju; Mrs. Angelina Akuma; Mrs. Agianpuye Dinah Chidi; Principals, Teachers and pupils of Excel College, Fodemi Private College, The Truth Visionary Mission International School (TTVM), HANS Private School, Effortswill Academy, etc.

NEWSWIRE Magazine correspondent in Lagos reports that the President of ICI-GWODEF and convener of the event, Mrs. Helen Nchedo Ibeji, described as timely and apt, the theme of the 2019 commemoration ‘GirlForce: Unscripted and Unstoppable,’ saying it came at a time when the girl-child in Nigeria was in greater peril than ever before, and in dire need of the urgent intervention of government, especially at the federal level.

Inspite of these challenges, she said, girls under the age of 18 continue to challenge established stereotypes, debunk long-help misconceptions and break barriers, even in some cases leading the efforts to tackle the challenges and threats facing them.

“As the theme of this year’s celebration underscores,” she said, “they are proving to be unscripted and unstoppable in their undertakings, from eliminating child marriage, to closing the education gap, to addressing gender-based violence such as rape and other forms of abuse, and even taking a strong stance in the face of the global climate crisis.”

The ICI-GWODEF president called on all well-meaning Nigerians to support the Girl-Child Initiative by helping to tear down the barriers that hold them back from realizing their full potential and assuming a leadership role.

The keynote speaker at the event, a key judicial officer in the Lagos State Judiciary, Mrs. Kikelomo Bukola Ayeye (who boasts of a long record as a civil and criminal adjudicator) described the woman as the latest and improved human version of creation after Adam. Inspite of this, she said, girl child has suffered untold hardship and dehumanization, even within families where she is regarded as inferior to her male siblings, and of lesser value in a society characterized by chauvinistic tendencies on the part of men. Society’s patriarchal ideology, she added, has long consigned the female child to an inferior status relative to the male, as a result of which men have instituted arbitrary structures designed to impose and enforce anti-female social and legal structures in society.

Mrs. Ayeye, however, called on girls to speak up and report violations of their rights and dignity wherever and whenever they occur, asserting that the International Girl Child Day is a reminder that girl-child rights are human rights as well. She hailed the tremendous gains made since the landmark Beijing Conference Declaration of 1995, and its progressive policy agenda and platform for action, which has seen a tremendous increase in the number of girls attending school and gaining the skills they need to excel in the workplace, and fewer child brides and mothers.

The slogan of this year’s commemoration, she concluded, must be each girl’s slogan as they continue to strive for their rightful place in society, assuring them of the support of well-placed women and relevant government agencies in their quest for a safe childhood, access to quality education and skills training, and a chance to make informed decisions affecting their lives.

Speaking in the same vein, other speakers at the event (including a former president of the International Federation of Women Lawyers, FIDA) asserted that the whole society benefits whenever women and girls are empowered with technology and are able to participate effectively in the ICT (information and communications technology) marketplace. If all girls and boys completed secondary school, they said, over 410 million people would be lifted out of poverty. They called for concerted efforts and investment in the health, education, safety and skills of the girl-child, and a commitment to making every day the Day of the Girl Child.

NEWSWIRE’s correspondent notes that the International Day of the Girl Child (held every 11th of October) celebrates the world’s one billion young girls as an ‘unscripted and unstoppable’ force for positive change.

The event came to an end with the presentation of awards to a number of persons in recognition of their support for the Girl-Child Initiative.

See photos below: