By GARBA MUHAMMAD, Kaduna

The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) has made a case for the rights, safety and education of the girl child in Nigeria.

A statement on Monday by NAWOJ’s National President, Ladi Bala, and Helen Udofa, National Secretary said this, as governments and organizations around the world come together to mark the 2021 International Day of the Girl Child, which is observed annually on October 11.

NAWOJ observed that Nigeria, as in other countries, girls face distinct disadvantages for being both young and female. United Nations statistics show that about 129 million girls around the world are out of school with less than 40 per cent of countries providing girls and boys with equal access to education.

The International Day of the Girl Child is dedicated to the growth of girls around the world and promotes awareness about gender equality as well as focuses on the issues faced by girls worldwide because of their gender. It is an occasion to raise awareness on the obstacles that girls all over the world face and to celebrate and reinforce their achievements.

“Over the years, major issues faced by girls include lack of or low level of education, nutrition, legal rights, medical care and protection from discrimination.

“They suffer sexual and gender-based violence, gender biases, discrimination, subjection to harmful circumstances and forced child marriage, that impede their health, safety, stability, education and other opportunities. These reflect the inequality they face in the society.

“In Nigeria, factors like ethnicity, religion and disability heighten the existing disadvantages that girls face. From being denied access to education to being forced into child marriage, our

girls face a myriad of obstacles that prevent them from realizing their full potentials.

“For millions of girls in conflict and crisis areas, these challenges are especially formidable and when women and girls lack power in their homes and communities, they are inevitably affected more than others in situations as armed conflict, drought, flood or COVID-19,” the statement added.

The 2021 theme of the International Day of the Girl Child, “Digital generation, Our

Generation”, focuses on promoting equal opportunity for girls in accessing technologies and bridging the digital divide as it can also widen gender gap.

According to the United Nations, girls are more likely to be cut off, pointing to a gender divide within the digital divide. The UN also stated that girls are less likely than boys to “use and own devices.”

“This affects the number of girls in technology-related skills and jobs as the percentage of females among Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) graduates is below 15 per cent in over two-thirds of countries, which is a serious point that needs to be looked into.

“Therefore, on this International Day of the Girl Child, NAWOJ calls on governments at all levels to commit to ensuring opportunities and equality for girls and urges everyone to tackle those persistent barriers against equal opportunities for our girls as well as those that are inimical to the advancement of girls in Nigeria.

“NAWOJ urges governments to ensure every girl child has access to the educational opportunities she requires to build a better life for herself in addition to keeping girls in school, since education is essential to women’s futures.

“We particularly seek targeted investments to facilitate opportunities for girls to safely and meaningfully access, use, lead and design technology even as we advocate for girls’ digital

access and inclusion across technology and innovation.”

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