Group tasks Govt on protection of girl child’s rights

Women in Leadership Advancement Network (WILAN), in partnership with Mastercard Foundation, has advised the Federal Government to protect rights of the girl child.

They made the call during the celebration of the International Day of the child.
  
Speaking on the theme: “Our time is now: our right, our future,” the Founder of WILAN, Abosede George-Ogan, said the theme focused on how to accelerate the rate of progress and give girls a future, where “they are equipped with leadership skills to maximise and fulfill their fullest potentials.”
   
In her keynote remarks, Managing Director, the Education Partnering Centre, Dr. Modupe Adefeso-Olateju, harped on the need to promote the education of the girl-child, adding that doing so was critical to development in any nation.
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“Every girl-child should have access to education. The world needs to acknowledge the challenges of women and the resilience of women.

“Girls face a lot of challenges, including early marriage, the number of children out-of-school and learning outcomes. COVID-19 did the girl-child a disservice. Every child’s education starts in the home and the mother is the primary instructor,” she said.
  
Also, Mr. Henry Anumundu, who is the founder of Sharing Lives Africa and a Mastercard Foundation scholar, said government has a significant role to play in ensuring that the girl-child gets the fair treatment required.
  
“The issue facing access to education, and safe spaces for girls, is very structural. We need to ask what policies our government is making to allow girls to go to school. We need to refine the system so that families, teachers, and the government are all learning together, and making policies that improve the plight of the girl-child,” he said.
 
Another panelist, Zainab Haruna, stressed the need for all stakeholders to join forces in advancing the cause of the girl.