- Don’t shy away from political spaces, others, Kwara First Lady advises girls
- Girls’ rights key to ending extreme poverty, achieving SDGs – British High Commission
From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), has listed five critical actions for adolescent girls to be taken by the Federal Government of Nigeria and other stakeholders.
UNICEF Nigeria Deputy Representative, Rownak Khan, in her remarks at the
International Day of the Girl (IDG) Forum, to mark the International Day of the Girl 2023, said first, “girls’ rights must be at the centre of our work, starting with the most marginalised, including pregnant, parenting, married girls, girls with disabilities, girls living in poverty, and girls affected by conflict and crisis.
“Second, we need to recognise, celebrate, and support girls’ leadership. Girls’ voices should guide everything we do. And so we need to create space for girls to lead and amplify their voices. It is equally critical that we invest in girl-led networks and programmes that empower them as leaders.
“Third, we need stronger coordination and collaboration across sectors to address adolescent girls’ multiple and intersecting needs. This means scaling up integrated and multisectoral programming for adolescent girls building on what works. In Katsina and Sokoto, we are working on spaces for out-of-school adolescent girls. The spaces will include skills building and draw from the Girls for Girls model.
“Fourth, there is a strong need for adolescent-friendly information, services, and systems. We have heard from some of the girls we work with that they face stigma and poor treatment when accessing essential services, including those related to sexual and reproductive health, mental health, and menstrual hygiene. “Doctors and nurses should be nice so young girls can ask them questions.” This also means working with adolescent girls to design services that meet their needs and priorities. For example, what does an adolescent-friendly primary healthcare centre look like to them?
“Lastly, the issues affecting girls deserve to be funded, and every stakeholder needs to be involved. There is no shortage of examples, including in this room, of how girls can be powerful forces for change when they have equal rights and opportunities. They change the world for themselves, their families, their communities, and their country. Now, imagine what can be achieved if we invest in every one of the 26 million adolescent girls in Nigeria so they can reach their full potential.
“There is no time to waste. Let us step up boldly so all adolescent girls can enjoy the full spectrum of their rights”, she said.
The First Lady of Kwara State and Chair of the Nigerian Governors’ Wives Forum, Olufolake Abdulrazaq, on her part, advised girls to embrace other professions, saying no sector should be declared a taboo including policies.
“My advice to you is not to make any sector a taboo, look at all sectors and join in any conversations, reach out to government, civil societies, to whoever you think can be of help to you. Do not to leave any profession out. We need women in the political space. We need women in the diplomatic space. We need women in all…so don’t just think about becoming a doctor or a lawyer or an engineer.
“You know, think about all these other spaces where we don’t have a lot of women. So my charge to the girl child today is take care of themselves, to be courageous, to talk to whoever they need to talk to, and to look at how they can put themselves forward into these spaces that we need them in.”
In his remarks, Development Director, British High Commission, Chris Pycroft , noted that this year’s theme: ‘Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Wellbeing’ is so important to us – in Nigeria and across the world.
He noted that the UK’s Foreign Secretary launched the International Women and Girl’s Strategy on March 8 this year in Sierra Leone – his mother’s birthplace.
“This new strategy stands as a rallying cry for girls and women’s freedom, empowerment, and prosperity.
He said the UK has re-committed to support the 3 Es: education, empowering women and girls and championing their health and rights and ending violence.
Pycroft added: “Here in Nigeria the UK has demonstrated over decades of partnership that we’re a genuine and enduring partner to grassroots organizations and other allies, old and new. Through these partnerships, we re-affirm our commitments to putting girls and women at the centre of our operations and investments.
Through our programmes and advocacy, we are supporting women and girls affected by the conflict in Northeast Nigeria and tackling gender-based violence. Our girls’ education programmes have already supported 1.5 million additional girls to access schooling in six states since 2012.
“We are pleased to be partnering with UNICEF as part of our commitment to driving forward progress through their campaign ‘26 million Reasons: Standing Up for Adolescent Girls and Their Rights.’
At this forum, and in every element of our work, we will continue to demonstrate that the realisation of girls’ rights is key to ending extreme poverty and achieving the SDGs – from economic growth and tackling inequality, to health and education, to peace, justice and better governance.
“According to UNICEF, there are 25.8 million adolescent girls in Nigeria. These girls all have dreams, and it is the responsibility of the Nigerian government, civil society, and development partners to support them in achieving those dreams.
“Our key message today is that adolescent girls should face no constraints on realising their full potential. On behalf of all development partners, I’d like to say: we stand with you on this goal and will continue to work in partnership with you to make this a reality.”
Others at the event were the Federal Ministry of Youth Development, the Nigerian Girl Guides Association, IHS Towers, and CS-SUNN,
school children among others.