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The Queen’s College Old Girls Association has called for the creation of more opportunities for the girl child and the protection of her rights as a citizen.
The association in conjunction with partners across other unity school alumni associations, made this known at a media parley put together to officially launch the Girl Force Movement in Lagos on Friday 11th of October 2019.
It said the initiative is a movement that respects the girl-child, validates the girl-child , encourages the girl-child and enables the girl-child have opportunities to be who they want to be without constraint, scripting or hindrance.
The convener and President of QCOGA, Mrs Ifueko Omoigui-Okauru, said society often discourages women from standing up to their right and voicing out issues affecting them, adding that there was a clear need for men and women to have a visible voice in addressing the issues.
Omoigui-Okauru, a former Chairman of the Federal Inland Revenue Service, said, “When we hear of a rape case, most people are quick to put the blame on the girl or woman, accusing her of indecent dressing or being seductive. As a result, most victims of abuse hardly speak out as the chances of being believed or any action taken to redress are slim.
“The seeming helplessness, feeling of inadequacy and reduced self-worth that women portray when accosted by persons of influence or those whom they perceive have some hold over them, such as their fathers, benefactors, spiritual heads and supervisors in the workplace, make these women feel inferior to their male counterparts.”
She explained that the Girl Force Movement, with the theme, Free the Mind of the Girl Child – Let Her Be, was founded as a platform that would be a catalyst for change and advocacy, using data to encourage, empower and enable the girl child to achieve their goals.
“With the Girl Force Movement, we have a voice. We are setting out to instil confidence in the mind of the girls and women in our society right from an early age. The Girl Child should have it in mind that from an early age that she can grow to become a respected person occupying a high position in the society”
“The girl child should not be made to stay at home while her brothers go to school. The girl child should learn to speak up and voice out right from an early age,” Omoigui-Okauru added.
Also speaking, the Executive Director, Centre for Advancement and Development Rights, Joy Ngwakwe, called for a change in the socialization process on the upbringing of the girl child.
“Girls, from the beginning, are taught that, eventually, they would end in the home or in the kitchen and striving hard to read courses that they may consider difficult might be useless. For example, in a home where parents buy gifts for children, at the initial stage, they start buying a toy car for the boy and a baby doll for the girl.
“You are already sending out a message to them; you are already telling the girl to focus on taking care of children, whereas you are telling the boy he should be able to become a car owner eventually. There is nothing wrong with a girl taking care of children but we should expose them to all they can be,” Ngwakwe noted
The Executive Secretary, Women in Successful Careers, Fabia Ogunmekan, stated the need for professional women to assist young girls in shaping their career paths and guiding them to make the right choices.
Ogunmekan added, “We are excited to contribute our learning through this movement, essentially, establishing the fact that beyond formal education, there is a role for mentorship and we all have a role to play from the home right through to school (for) these young girls that are coming up.”