Woo man!
Through no fault of hers, the African girl child appears at a huge disadvantage. Not only is she perceived as inferior and usually placed second in the psychological battle of the sexes, she is also forced to contend with societal issues such as rape, genital mutilation and discrimination at the work place.
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Nigerian women also face particular problems and injustices once they become widows. The women are subject to cultural pressures that are inconsistent with human rights.
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If there’s to be any lasting change in the position of the girl child, then it has to start from the Family. African parents (especially Fathers) need to be sensitized more that the sex of the child is irrelevant and that all human lives matter.
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I would like to see fathers guide their daughters through life’s difficulties like they do with their boys, under the guise of helping them grow up to become men. Besides formal education, men are exposed to life-changing concepts such as entrepreneurship, sex, from a younger age. The same can’t be said for girls who are often ignored and condemned to early marriage.
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Chief amongst the paradigm shift I’d love to influence is to promote more inclusion for the girl child. I would like to see more women in Africa take up leadership positions because they merit it, not because they are trying to fill quotas or because they’re perceived as “weak or sexually disadvantaged”.
