INTERNATIONAL DAY OF THE GIRL CHILD : CALL FOR CONCERTED EFFORT TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST THE GIRL CHILD – UNICEF
On the occasion of this year’s International Day of the girl child, the Enugu state Commissioner for Gender Affairs and Social Development, Princess Peace Nnaji, has encouraged girls to be diligent in their studies to excel in life.
Princess Nnaji who gave the advice in a media briefing in Enugu, as part of activities to mark the day, noted that the state governor, chief Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had ensured that girls in the state realize their dreams, through the domestication of the child rights law and violence against persons prohibition law.
The Commissioner explained that these laws had checked child trafficking and female genital mutilation and cutting.
Speaking on the day,a former Commissioner for Economic Planning, Budget and Millennium Development Goals in Anambra State, Professor Chinyere Okunna urged girls not to shy away from leadership positions. Professor Okunna stressed that education of the girl child is an enduring legacy.
In his submission, the chief United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF, Enugu Field Office, Doctor Ibrahim Conteh, empasized the need for leaders in Africa, including Nigeria, to rise above personal and sectional interest and embrace children without discrimination.
Doctor Conteh stated that extreme poverty, mal-nutrition, rape, child labour and violence against girls would be checked when leaders work with unity and sincerity.
The theme of this year’s International day of the girl child is, “my voice,our equal future“.