The International community commemorated World Population Day (WPD) last Monday. In marking the event, attention was focused on enormous challenges facing the teenage girl. Possible remedies to the challenges discussed include education, information, empowerment and liberation from harmful traditional and religious practices, amongst others. Senior Correspondent ONYEWUCHI OJINNAKA reports.
In 1989, the Governing Council of United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) now the United Nations General Assembly recommended that July 11 every year be observed by the international community as World Population Day, a day chosen to focus attention on the urgency and importance of population issues.
In his message to commemorate 2016 World Population Day, the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon urged governments, businesses and civil society to support and invest in teenage girls in order to ensure economic growth and social progress.
“Despite significant gains made in reducing poverty and improving opportunity and well-being for many people around the world, hundreds of millions remain desperate for a chance of a better future. Among those least served by previous development initiatives are girls, particularly those in their formative teenage years,” Ki-moon said.
According to the Secretary-General, many teenage girls around the world are being forced out of school for early marriage, with several having their future prospects damaged. He noted, however, that communities around the globe are using the day to highlight the need to address challenges faced by girl child with a view to ensuring that they participate fully in society.
Ki-moon stated that whereas girls should be in school visualising the potentials ahead, so many are held back from pursuing their ambitions by social and cultural traps. “While a boy’s options and opportunities tend to expand when he becomes an adolescent, those of a girl too often shrink. Half of all sexual assaults worldwide are committed against girls aged 15 or younger. In developing countries, one in three girls is married before she reaches 18, and teenage girls are less likely than teenage boys to start or finish secondary school”, he explained.
“On this World Population Day, I urge all Governments, businesses and civil society to support and invest in teenage girls. Everyone deserves the benefits of economic growth and social progress. Let us work together to ensure a life of security, dignity and opportunity for all”, he charged
The theme of 2016 World Population Day (WPD) is ‘Investing in teenage girls’. Teenage girls around the world face enormous challenges. Many are considered by their communities or parents to be ready for marriage and motherhood. Many are forced from school, damaging their future prospects. Even among girls who stay in school, access to basic information about their health, human rights and reproductive rights can be hard to come by, leaving them vulnerable to illness, injury and exploitation. These challenges are exacerbated among marginalised girls, such as members of ethnic minorities or those living in poverty or remote areas.
However, if teenage girls are empowered, if they know about their rights and are given the tools to succeed, they would become agents of positive change in their communities.
In 2015, UNFPA programmes helped 11.2 million girls between ages 10 and 19 gain access to sexual and reproductive health services and information. “Leaders and communities must focus on and stand up for the human rights of the most marginalized teenage girls, particularly those who are poor, out of school, exploited, or subjected to harmful traditional practices, including child marriage”, UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin said.
“Marginalised girls are vulnerable to poor reproductive health and more likely to become mothers while still children themselves. They have a right to understand and control their own bodies and shape their own lives”.
Nigeria Commemorates WPD
As Nigeria joins the international community to mark the 2016 World Population Day, groups, organisations and agencies have for the umpteenth time, called on States that have not domesticated the Child Rights Act to do so without further delay.
One of the agencies is the National Population Commission (NPC) which gave assurance to work towards ensuring elimination of any form of violence against teenage girls by the year 2030.
At the event to mark WPD in Osogbo, Osun State capital, chairman of National Population Commission, Eze Duruiheoma urged states that have not domesticated the Child Rights Act to do so for the benefit and welfare of the Nigerian children.
Duruiheoma whose message was delivered by the Osun State Director of the Commission, Dr. Mike Sangodapo, averred that in line with the theme of this year’s celebration, Federal and state governments should invest more in health and education of teenage girls in order to create opportunities for them to claim their rights, realise their aspirations and full potential; stressing that success of the 2030 new sustainable development agenda would depend on the support and investment made on the teenage girls in the country.
He promised to work with the faith-based and community based organisations, non-governmental organisations and the media to stop all forms of violence against teenage girls.
In a paper titled ‘The Problem with Girl Child’ delivered at the event by Timothy Ogunleye, a statistical analyst and international consultant on monitoring and evaluation, he pointed out that problems facing teenage girls include discrimination, rejection and neglect, genital mutilation, forced and early marriage among others, stressing that these vices must be stopped.
Also speaking at the WPD event, Rev Elizabeth Adewole, a civil right activists sought for sensitisation of women on parenting.
World Population Day is observed annually to raise awareness on the importance of population and development issues. As Nigeria prepares for another census next year, it becomes noteworthy in the sense that every effort would be made to ensure a successful headcount.
Rights Group Speaks
Speaking with TheNiche, a human rights advocacy, Gender and Development Action (GADA) executive director Ada Agina-Ude said that GADA canvases for the protection of women and young girls, Child’s rights and advocacy, stressing that young or teenage girls who are not up to 18 years are protected by Child Rights Act.
“We are at the forefront of the action of Child’s rights. We organise leadership training for them”, she said.
Recalling this year’s WPD theme, Agina-Ude disclosed she was in the National Population Commission office Lagos to commemorate the event with the Commission and expressed her goodwill for the event. TheNiche gathered that GADA is a strong member of Child Protection network.
“We belong to Surulere constituency of the Network. We constantly interact with Surulere Network and ensure that every unpleasant story about any woman, girl or child is reported to the Network for necessary follow up and action”.
She revealed that Child Protection Network is a community based network. “We report unpleasant cases involving the girls to them (Network)”.
Referring to the theme of WPD which is ‘Investing in teenage girls’, Agina-Ude said her organisation is specifically concerned about education of teenage girls.
“We are particular about education of teenage girls. We advocate for special education in terms of funding and setting up special school for talented pupils, particularly girls.
“We are advocating for promotion of education of teenage girls. We also advocate for assistance in the upbringing of talented girls”.
According to GADA executive director, “Investing in education of teenage girls, capacity building and other remedies will enhance the moral, social and economic values of the girls”.
Another civil organisation, Women’s Rights and Health Projects (WRAHP), that works for the promotion of reproductive health, rights and general development for women, young girls and communities, in a telephone conversation with TheNiche on WPD, recounted a lot of challenges that face the vulnerable group, especially the teenage girls and boys as well.
Highlighting some of the challenges, WRAHP’s executive director Mrs Bose Agbonmerele Iro-Nsi commended the 2016 WPD theme, saying it is significant because a lot of challenges are being encountered by the vulnerable group within the society. Some of the challenges are girl/child abuse, sexual harassment, girl trafficking and forced prostitution, early child/forced marriage, rape and inadequate information among other challenges.
Iro-Nsi posited that emphasis that is made on the teenage girl should also be extended to teenage boy because they attend same school, play together and discuss issues that affect them. Most times, teenage girls are blamed for improper planning but they lack adequate information which should have guided them. Adequate information is not made available to them.
“Poverty and inadequate information contribute to the problems/challenges of the teenagers”, she explained.
Addressing the Challenges
Proffering solutions to the challenges of the teenagers, Iro-Nsi posited that some good policies should be put in place, in addition to goodwill. According to her, the primary role to model or shape a child to a teenager starts from the home. “Parents have the primary responsibility to nurture a child. Child upbringing starts from home”.
Another way of addressing the issue is to invest on the teenagers by ensuring their education, creating advocacy and providing information that will help them know their rights, live and work for the betterment of the society.
“We should not allow culture or religion to ruin the girls. There should be policy and capacity development for teachers and parents so as to educate the teenagers and make them know their rights and values to the society”.
Children/teenagers should be allowed to pursue their education without any hindrance. They should not be subjected to the whims and caprices of the society, culture or religion. Investing on the teenagers will make them develop their talents, know their values and contribute their quota to their immediate families and society at large.
Iro-Nsi used the occasion to indict government, saying that it is trying to create an unfavourable terrain for NGO’s to operate. She averred that government is trying to set a policy that may muzzle NGOs. When reminded that government policy is not to muzzle NGOs but to monitor how funds given to them are managed, Iro-Nsi said that local and international funders have their system of monitoring how funds to NGOs are managed. She remarked that even the government on its own receives fund from international organisations and agencies for humanitarian projects and services; but nobody monitors or checkmates the management of the funds given to the government.
For instance, there has been reports that various organisations and agencies donate funds for the IDPs in Nigeria but how the funds are managed is not properly accounted for, to Nigerians.
The physically challanged
GADA’s Agina-Ude solicited support of girls with disabilities who are marginalised within the society. She appealed that the physically challenged in our society be given special attention and education.
“We advocate for inclusiveness, good policy that will take up the issue of the disabled who are the socially minority.”
Centre for Citizens with Disabilities (CCD), an NGO that cares for welfare of people with disabilities also spoke with TheNiche on the occasion of World Population day. Amplifying the challenges facing the physically-challenged teenage girls in Nigeria, CCD executive director David Anyaele lamented that girls with disabilities suffer multiple challenges as a result of their disabilities. They suffer discrimination, exclusion, isolation, and marginalisation as well as absence of a legal frame work that would protect them as vulnerable group.
He asserted that in many cases where there are schools for all, education on human rights, reproduction health, or vocational training; girls with disabilities do not have access to them. According to CCD’s survey on access to public infrastructure in six states and FCT Abuja, “it was found that more than 99.5 percent of public infrastructures are not accessible to persons with disabilities. This has exposed girls with disabilities to institutional exclusion and discrimination hence that is the key driver”.
On the involvement of CCD in addressing the challenges, Anyaele said that currently CCD is championing a legislation that would protect citizens with disabilities from discrimination and harmful practices at the National Assembly.
“It might interest you to know that on July 13, 2016, the Nigeria Senate passed the bill into law. We are waiting for the House of Representatives to concur on the bill by passing it into law. This will grant the impetus to demand for the President assent, which is in line with his campaign promises”.
In proffering possible implementable programmes by NGOs and Government to meet the challenges/investment on teenage girls, Anyaele opted for continuous sensitisation of the public against gender based violence, promoting girl child education, human rights and reproductive healthcare as well as enhancing access to vocational training programmes.
