By Tina Amanda
The Nigeria Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ), Rivers State Chapter, has called for increased funding and investments for adolescent girls.
The association made the call as part of its activities to commemorate the 2023 International Day of the Girl Child (IDG).
NAWOJ maintained that there is an urgent need for increased attention and resources for the key areas that enable girls to know their rights and actualize their full potential.
In a statement signed by the NAWOJ State Chairperson Susan Serekara-Nwikhana, and the Secretary Dr Ngozi Anosike, called on the Government at all levels to move beyond reaffirming commitments and invest boldly in the action needed to make that change.
The statement noted that investing in girls’ leadership includes creating space and platforms for girls to raise their voices at every level of policy-making, directly resourcing girls’ movements and networks, and centering girls’ voices in leadership and all programs.
It described the range of movements and actions to curtail girls’ and women’s rights and roll back progress on gender equality as harsh impacts on girls and envisioned a society where girls would have space to shape government policy.
NAWOJ further called for scaling up sustainable programs to support girls’ well-being such as an adolescent-friendly maternal health clinic that includes a parenting program, a violence-prevention program that takes place at schools, and a multi-sectoral program that addresses adolescent girls’ needs.
According to the association, the Government will not meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their targets without investing in adolescent girls who, when supported, deliver returns and powerful change for girls themselves, their families, communities, and societies.
They call for the protection and promotion of girls’ rights stressing the need for relevant stakeholders to center girls’ rights in their work to tackle the pushback against gender equality while regretting that adolescent girls are usually sidelined on issues like maternal health care, parenting support, as well as access to financial literacy and resources.
NAWOJ recognizes that in society, patriarchy and power dynamics afford boys comparative advantages compared to girls in most domains and opines that essential services be meaningfully changed to be adolescent-girl-friendly.
This includes tackling the stigma and poor treatment adolescent girls face while accessing essential services, such as sexual and reproductive health services; going to school during pregnancy or during childbirth; and also managing menstrual health and hygiene.
The International Day of the Girl (IDG) observed annually on 11 October is a global platform to advocate for the full spectrum of girls’ rights. This year’s celebration of International Day of the Girl Child seeks to realize their rights and achieve their full potential.
