Need to protect Girl child

The ‘girl child’ is not more special than the male child, neither is she more important than the male child. But this topic is treated vastly in schools, churches, mosques, social gatherings, or the social media today because in our societies from time immemorial, the ‘girl child’ has been seen as a mere property without any rights whatsoever or any say in the society.

 In our society ,  the ‘girl child’ is often subjected to abuse, their rights as humans withheld from them, some of these abuses comes as;

✓ Early marriage: this is one of the common abuse as it is still practiced till this day. Being considered as a mere property that could be betrothed or sold off in marriage, especially married off to men way older than them. In situations like these, the ‘girl child’ has no say of whom she wishes to marry or if she wants to be married out at all. The ‘girl child’ could be married off as a peace treaty to another family or community, or as a symbol of family ties, or could be married off to a wealthy man as to elevate her family from poverty, or base on religious practices (this is month common amongst Muslims and the northern part of the African country Nigeria), or base on cultural practices majorly by Africans and other cultural driven country. As a result of these, the ‘girl child’ is exposed to sexual, physical, verbal, and emotional abuse. They are also exposed to teenage pregnancy which has its side effects like low birth weight/premature birth, high blood pressure/ pregnancy induced hypertension, and a higher rate of infant mortality (death).

✓ Denial of the right to quality education: most societies considers the ‘girl child’ education as a waste of time as they’re mainly need to procreate. This destroys the dreams of the ‘girl child’ and also limits her understanding of her potentials in the society. She’s taught to stay indoors, never speak unless spoken to, she is taught that her opinions are less important even not needed to the affairs of the society. This mentality is passed down from generations to generations.

✓ Rights to voice out their opinions on public important issues: the ‘girl child’ is found indoors when men are outside, they quiet while their fate are being decided. A ‘girl child’ who speaks up is considered a shame and disgrace, uncultured and ill-mannered. 

✓ In families where there is no male child, just the ‘girl child’, such a family is seen as childless because the ‘girl child’ cannot take over businesses, she cannot preside over meetings, she cannot been seen outside sharing her opinions, neither can she have a quality education.

Furthermore, in the year 1995, a conference was held in Beijing china to discuss ways on how to abort the many ill-treatments melted out on the ‘girl child’. The conference was first of United Nations conference on women with its main focus on the ‘girl child’. The convention on the rights of the child (CRC) and the convention on the elimination of all forms of discrimination against women (CEDAW) and some other organisations were present where it was discussed that:

✓ All forms of discrimination against the ‘girl child’ should be eliminated .

✓ Negative cultural attitudes and practices against the ‘girl child’ should be stopped .

✓ Discrimination against girls in education, skills development and training should be eliminated.

✓ The rights of the ‘girl child’ should be protected and awareness on her needs and potentials be increased.

✓ Violence against the ‘girl child’ should be eradicated.

✓ The family should be strengthened to improve the status of the ‘girl child’.

✓ Economic exploitation of child labour be eliminated and she should be protected at work.  Etc.

 Young girls who are still children and are supposed to be in classrooms learning or be under a master or mistress as an apprentice learning a skill, are married off even at the young age of 13 and below. While the male child is privileged to go to school or acquire a skill, the ‘girl child’ is subjected to stay at home with the mother and learn to be a woman at a very early age. 

 At a very early age they are taught to be responsible and mature, to cater for a home and procreate. They don’t go to school like the male child, they’re not expected to act their age and play around freely as a child. 

Once married off they’re not expected to fail in their duty as a woman, wife and mother. If they fail in any aspect, they’re labelled as a shame in the society, they’re beaten or punished, and they do not have the quality education to understand a divorce.

Interestingly, there are lots of benefits therein caring, educating, and protecting the ‘girl child’ which are not known to many families in the society. This hence takes us to the part where we discuss some of the needs to protect the ‘girl child’. When the ‘girl child’ is protected and educated, the following are some of the good impacts it has on the society: 

✓ Economic stability of the family: when the ‘girl child’ is educated and empowered to work, she’ll have unlimited understanding of her potentials in the society and her family. Other than learning how to procreate only, she’ll learn how to be useful and how to contribute immensely to her society and family.

✓ Dignity and honour: acquiring education brings a sense of honour to the individual and the society, if a ‘girl child’ is allowed to acquire education, she’ll been viewed with great respect not just by her family members but by the society at large.

✓ Improvement in the health status of the society as she knows and educate other members of the society on the importance of clean hygiene and healthy living.

✓ When the ‘girl child’ is educated, she becomes knowledgeable to the career paths she could choose from and also help enlighten many other young girls on career fields they can choose from, improving the workforce of the country and also becoming successful to reduce the poverty rate of the society.

✓ When the ‘girl child’ is protected and allowed to live freely, it will reduce the amount of early marriages and child abuse in the society. Children will no longer be exposed to the practice of sex at a very young age and the rate of mortality (death) for teenage pregnant girls will also be reduced.

✓ When the ‘girl child’ is educated and allowed to mingle with her age mates, she’ll be free to express herself without fear of being questioned, shut down or punished. She’ll be more creative, idealistic and productive.

There are so many other advantages that comes in when the ‘girl child’ is educated and protected, it’s a never ending discovery.

In conclusion, the ‘girl child’ should be educated and protected in all levels and parents should never be found engaging in  male gender parity, that is, placing the male gender or the male child above the ‘girl child’ as this will hinder any form of growth and development in the society as the saying goes “behind every successful man, is a great and supportive woman”.

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