A GIRL CHILD AND OUR CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN SOCIETY

A GIRL CHILD AND OUR CONTEMPORARY AFRICAN SOCIETY

BY NUHU FLORENCE U14MCM2021

Who is a girl child?

          A girl child is a young female child in contrast to a boy. A girl child is someone with loving and calm spirit, she is a gift and a blessing from God and therefore needs to be cared and catered for, a girl child needs to attend the basic education and even beyond.

          In most of our societies in Africa, people regard the girl child as nobody. They don’t see any value attached to her existence except that of cooking, sex and child bearing. People only regard the boy child and almost all their attentions are on them with parents inclusive.

          Another aspect I want to talk about is the education of the female child. In most societies especially the Northern part of the country in those days, parents didn’t see any need sending their female children to school for reasons being that the girl will get spoilt or that it will make her stay at home for long without getting married. They believe that a grown up girl should be married on time, to them her education is useless and of no value.

          However in our country Nigeria we have a lot of women that were trained in school and are great women today and are doing exploit, example of which are; Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Late prof. Dora Akunyili, prof. Rukaiyatu Rufai. They are all Nigerians and they made a great difference it their time, because they prove wrong the expression “girls education ends in the kitchen” and prove right the one that says “what man can do, woman can do it better” we all know that their educations did not end just in the kitchen.

          One more issue I want to point out is that of girl-child molestation. In our African societies today we are often confronted with the issue of rape and that is directed to a girl-child. I want to pose here and ask this question; is it that the female child does not have the right to move freely in the society? More often we hear this disheartening news and fear grieved us since a girl is not safe outside her home. What disturb me the most is that, the Constitution of the Federal republic of Nigeria in sec.39 provides everyone with freedom and right of movement, so why is it different in the case of a girl-child?, why the harassment?.

          Moreover a girl-child wants to be heard because even the constitution gives her right of fair hearing without giving her hearing ears she won’t be able to give out her best; she has a lot inside of her and needed someone to confide in, so as a parents, brother, neighbours please give the girl-child a listening ear so that she can bring out the best in her.

          The girl-child is a very important personality without her there will be no future for our nation. So parent educate your child, train her, show her love and care, make her feel she is the best and I bet you, you will never regret you do, give her the best and you will have a better society.