CPN celebrates international day of the Girl Child

 October 11, 2020

Press release

CPN celebrates international day of the Girl Child

Child Protection Network (CPN), Nigeria joins the national and global communities to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child. This Observance Day was declared by a resolution of the United Nations in December 2011 and was first observed on 11th October 2012.

The day focuses on increasing awareness of issues faced by girls around the world. The antecedent being that of the precarious situation of the Girl Child who had become endangered and beset all around by social, cultural and gender-based factors that constrained full developmental potentials. They are bedeviled and terrorized. 

They are assailed by issues such as under-education, nutrition, forced child marriage, trafficking,  female genital mutilation and denial of legal rights and medical rights. They have been denied their right to be heard.

Because their voices are still scattered, weak and ineffective, giving them a voice and a platform enables them to boldly demand action against discrimination, violence, and poor learning opportunities.

This year’s celebration is rightly themed “My voice, Our Equal Future”. Child Protection Network, Nigeria with the State Chapters wish to synergize with other actors to move the girl child from an endangered vulnerable species to an empowered one. What better way to empower them than to give them a voice, facilitate the amplification of their voices to be heard, and make their voice and decisions count so they can contribute to the affairs that concern them and shape their future. This is a sure way to protect them, building their confidence, self-esteem, self-worth and self-agency.

When we give them a voice and allow their voice to count now on events that concern them, their places in the family, workplace and community are being assured and consolidated and indeed secure. 

Gender equality will be achieved when they are able to speak out and speak up within the family and refuse to resign themselves to the place of a second fiddle. They will not be relegated to the background or forgotten in resource sharing.

Our State Chapters are participating fully in this observance. They will go to the girls in the neighborhoods, schools and religious places to celebrate and interact with them. The out-of-school adolescents will not be left behind. Girl child activists will be identified and showcased. We will listen to their expressions of the change they want and let them know how others are leading and demanding changes globally. We will hear their voices on their experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact.   

This is calling all stakeholders, especially the governments, civil society organizations and the private sector to work with communities to ensure that indeed a new era dawns on our girl child, for the benefits of all. On International Day of the Girl Child, our governments are hereby reminded to accelerate their fulfilment of the commitment at Beijing 25 years ago to ensure that the future for every girl, everywhere, becomes her lived reality."

 Signed

 Mrs Jennifer Ero,

 President, Child Protection Network, Nigeria.