By Tina Amanda
The girl child have been charged to brace up and secure her future as the era where girls were relegated is now a thing of the past.
Commissioner of Education Rivers State, Professor Prince Mmom, gave the charge while commemorating the International Day of the Girl Child 2022, with the theme: “Our Time is Now; Our Rights, Our Future” organised by International Federation of Women Lawyers (FIDA) in collaboration with Rivers Girls Forum, in Port Harcourt.
Professor Mmom who was represented by the Director, Quality Assurance Department, Rivers State Ministry of Education, Silverline Obama, said every girl child must make up her mind to achieve higher goals in life without giving in to any form of intimidation or harrassment.
She said, “Its good to know that everyone is trying to brace up to see that putting the girl child behind becomes a thing of the past. I want to challenge girls here who are representing all the other girls in the state, Nigeria and around the globe, that the time is now to take up your place in the society.
“Know your rights, this is the time to take your place, do not let anyone put you down any more, how do you paint your picture is by taking hold of the now. Today women holds all kinds of positions, take your place and one way to change your world is to maximize this opportunity of being in school because once you are educated you change the narrative.
“It would be brain for brain, you can be an engineer, doctors there is no longer courses for men cease the opportunity of being educated to change the narrative. Do not let anyone lure you to what you do not want to do, if they try to force you cry out to the female teachers in your schools, to that educated aunty or woman around you and help will come.
“The future you so desire is your hands.”
On her part, Chairperson FIDA Rivers State, Adata Bio-Briggs, called on the government and various organizations to make sanitary pads free for all girl child in the state, noting that it has become a big challenge for girls to access sanitary pads during their menstruation due to economic hardship.
“The key challenge right now apart from Gender Based Violence (GBV) is menstruation, alot of girls do not have the money to purchase pads, so this is a call to the government to see if they can make pads free for all girl child. If they can make condoms free, available and cheap they should also make pads less expensive.
“This is one thing every individual must look into. When you see a girl child next to you ask her how she was able to cope with all these demands, we need to make life cheaper and easier for all of them.”
She, however, urged girls to always speak up and not allow any form of intimidation as the law is there to protect them.
In an interview with our correspondent, some student participants called on parents and care givers to give the girl child all the necessary support and the required education, as most female children have been subjected to abuse, neglect and lots of molestation in the society.
They also pleaded for support and assistance in providing sanitary pads for school girls in the state.
