Give girl-child her rights

Monday was the International Day of the Girl-Child, focusing on promoting girls’ empowerment and highlighting their unique challenges.

This year’s theme, “My voice, our equal future”, reimagines a better world inspired and led by adolescent as part of global gender equality. This is by raising awareness on issues affecting the girl-child. Many of the girl issues are visible but people tend to ignore their suffering.

The day focuses on the need to address girls’ challenges and to promote their empowerment and fulfilment of their human rights. The environment has not been safe for girls and it has been extremely problematic when it comes to gender equality, access to sanitary towels, good education, zero discrimination and ending teenage pregnancy.

Meaningfully involving girls and participation in forums, ending all forms of discrimination against women and girls is not only a basic human right but also accelerating sustainable development.

Adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated and healthy life. Sadly, many of them are vulnerable and often sleep around to get money for sanitary towels. Most girls in Kenya are suffering the effects of child domestic labour.

Poverty

Some of the girls are driven into this situation by poverty some at a very young age. That is where some of them are sexually abused.

When women are denied access to income-generating processes, children are affected. Early marriage and female genital mutilation (FGM) are still rampant in some communities.

Adequate funds should be set aside to ensure training of the local administrators while teachers should monitor and report the incidence to authorities, sensitising the communities involved, as well as giving severe penalties to those involved.

Law enforcement officers should work with community leaders to end FGM and child marriages. Rehabilitation centres should be set aside to ensure girls get adequate counselling and go back to school.

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