Foundation calls for collective action on girl-child challenges
By Talatu Maiwada
AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), on Sunday in Abuja urged all stakeholders and governments at all levels to unlock the girl-child potential through better initiatives.
Dr Echey Ijezie, AHFs Nigeria Country Director, in a statement, said there was now the need to invest in initiatives capable of empowering and developing leadership potentials in the girl-child.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the statement was in relation to the commemoration of the 2020 International Day of the Girl-Child across the world on Sunday.
The International Day of the Girl-Child is commemorated annually on Oct.11 to celebrate the importance, power, and potentials of girls around the world.
The days theme, Empowered Girls Brighter Future, is aimed at celebrating girls worldwide, by keeping them healthy, confident and providing opportunities for them to succeed.
For us at AHF therefore, the 2020 International Day of the Girl-Child is another auspicious moment for stakeholders to rally round for the well-being of girls.
The opportunity has come again for everyone to contribute and lift up our girls by investing in initiatives that are capable of developing their leadership potential.
These are the provision of water and hygienic toilets in schools, provisionof free sanitary pads to indigent girls and considering lowering the age of consent from 18.
This will be a strong statement of our support for their well-being, Ijezie said.
He pointed out that AHF had since 2016 made young women and girls their top priority with the global Girls Act programme.
This is out of the belief that girls everywhere should stay safe, healthy and able to achieve their goals, Ijezie added.
He recalled that on Sept. 30 members of AHF-Nigeria Girls Act had an interface with the House of Representatives Committee on AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria Control (ATM).
Ijezie said the group sought help from the parliamentarians in improving the well-being of girls in the country, particularly to create unhindered access for girls to reproductive health services that are youth-friendly.
During that visit to the National Assembly, Hon. Abubakar Dahiru, Chairman House Committee on ATM, in his response, had promised that his committee would lead the effort to improve the well-being of girls in Nigeria.
That is heartwarming for us at AHF, he said in the statement.
It also quoted Terri Ford, AHF Chief of Global Policy and Advocacy, as reaffirming the need for government and stakeholders globally to provide vital keys for the success of the girl-child.
They should be able to stay in school, avoid unplanned pregnancies and persons that are HIV-positive should remain on treatment.
COVID-19 has been devastating, but the limited access to services for sexual and reproductive health and other vital areas for girls and young women are making the situation increasingly worrisome, Ford stated.
Also, Loretta Wong, AHF Deputy Chief of Global Policy and Advocacy, took a look at the United Nations Population Fund prediction.
The Fund predicted that there could be up to seven million unintended pregnancies and an increase in cases of gender-based violence as a result of the pandemic.
We however urge governments and stakeholders globally to do more to ensure girls are protected and have access to the health services they need.
Source: NAN News