2022 International Day of the girl child: Empower girl child through good education, improved access to ICT – Ikpeazu

Chinwe Ugele, Umuahia

he wife of Abia State governor, Dr. Nkechi Ikpeazu says time has come to give the girl child her right of place to guarantee a total and stable society.

In a message to mark the 2022 International Day of the Girl-Child; Mrs. Ikpeazu said the theme of this year’s celebration is a wake-up call for the impendency of allowing girls to realize their full potential presently to enable them claim stakes in the future of humanity.

Dr. Ikpeazu noted that a number of problems confront the Nigerian girl child, directly and indirectly limiting her development, such as: sexual abuse, child labour, forced marriage, as well as discrimination in the family nucleus and society.

She believes that the gender gap can be closed through education and technology, increased access to Information and Communication Technology for the Girl Child. Also, encouraging her to take up courses in STEAM subjects i.e. Science, Technology Engineering Arts and Mathematics is one way of giving the girl child a boost to leadership position in the development of society.

Mrs Ikpeazu added that the girl-child must be promoted as an agent of change, protected from gender-based violence, inequalities and discrimination on many fronts.

She called governments, community-based organizations, faith-based organizations, civil society groups, human rights groups, husbands, and other stakeholders in the society to devote more resources to developing, protecting and empowering the girl child.