International Day of the Girl Child: Let’s Teach Girls to Occupy Space

Every October, we mark the International Day of the Girl Child. That is because as the world progresses, we recognise the need to bring to light the unique challenges of the girl child and continually promote gender equality. This year is no different. The theme: Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being, comes at a time when, according to UNICEF, “we are seeing a range of movements and actions to curtail girls’ and women’s rights and roll back progress on gender equality. There is an urgent need for increased attention and resources for the key areas that enable girls to realise their rights and achieve their full potential.”

For this year’s theme, I’d say that as we clamour for gender parity and equality, we must also seize this opportunity to teach the girl child to be audacious and daring, to occupy space and never be scared to be a leader or go for a higher position in whatever field they have chosen.

From teaching the girl child she can be a class captain, to a head prefect, an SUG president, an NYSC CLO, to a strong political candidate, a business guru, a board member, a policy maker, and so on, we must begin to teach the girl child that there is no space too big for her to occupy, or a position too technical for her to man.

Already, we see many girls championing solutions and change in their communities. From the highest 2023 UTME scorer, Kamsiyochukwu Nkechinyere to Tobi Amusan, to Asisat Oshoala who was nominated for the biggest award in football, Ballon D’or, to the youngest female politician in the 2023 elections, Ruqayyat Shittu, and others, we see Nigerian women and girls making the country proud locally and globally.

This year’s theme highlights the need to invest in girls’ rights and also reminds us there is much work to be done in leadership and wellbeing. We can start by acknowledging women’s rights as human rights. One way to do this is to encourage a society where the girl child is free to voice out her concerns and be listened to. Another way is to take swift action where the rights of the girl child have been violated and abused.

Above all, we must teach the girl child to be bold enough to question the status quo, ask for opportunities, and not be scared to take up leadership roles. We must consistently remind her of the power she holds within, a confirmation that she is not a second-fiddle. As a society, we must strive to build a world where women are not scared to occupy space.

Happy International Day of the Girl Child.

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