By EWETE EMMANUEL
The traditional philosophy and mentality of most Nigerians is that a woman’s place is in her husband’s kitchen and her primary role centres on and around her home. This dangerous belief has kept many girls away from education, which has exposed them to unfortunate circumstances and privations.
According to “Girl-Child Education in Africa”, a study by Professor Grace Chibiko Offorma of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, the girl-child is a biological female offspring from birth to eighteen years of age. This is the age before one becomes a young adult. This period covers the crèche, nursery or early childhood (0- 5 years), primary (6 – 12 years) and secondary school (12 – 18 years). This period is made up of infancy, childhood, early and late adolescence stages of development. This is the period when the girl child is malleable, builds and develop her personality and character. Her physical, social, mental, and emotional developments start and progress to get to the peak at the young adult age. This is the period where her childhood experiences and circumstances can mar or make her to the peak of young adulthood.
Also, The Guardian newspaper reported that the total population of Nigeria amounts to about 200million, and out of this millions of people, 94.2million accounts for the female gender which shows that there’s a relegated slope regarding the female gender and this proves one of the reason they are treated as second class citizen in the country. Not only in Nigeria is this happening but also in some countries in Africa and some parts of other continents.
In Nigeria, a female child is typically perceived to be a weaker being, thus designated to reproduce, to cook, to do household chores compared etc. Over the years, this mentality brought a kind of segregation in the society most especially in the Northern states where the father of a girl-child gives her daughter hand in marriage at a very young age to an elderly man all in the name of maintaining his family integrity and gratify his social pleasures.
According to UNICEF Statistics on Education in Nigeria infographics, primary school enrollment has increased in recent years, but net attendance is only about 70%, but Nigeria still has 10.5million out-of-school children which apparently is the world’s highest number. 60% of those children are in northern Nigeria and about 60% of out-of-school children are girls, many which as result of early marriages enforced on them by their family members dropped out of school early. Based on this analogy, it can be deduced that the indispensability of the girl-child had deteriorated overtime—a sickening attitude which the female folks have come to vehemently revolt against.
In another report by UNICEF, Nigeria’s population growth has put pressure on the country’s resources, public services, and infrastructure. With children under the 15 years of age accounting for 45% of the 171million population, the burden on education has become overwhelming and irritably strong. This is why an average father would prefer to give his male children the right and appropriate education and give the female children out in marriage at an early age.
In the northern states, girl-child marriage is commonplace despite being prohibited by international law. In some cases, these early messages deny the girl rights to make vital decisions about their sexual health and wellbeing. Also, it makes them lose their much cherished personality, vulnerability to self-denial with an increased risk of violence, abuse, ill health and early death. Girls who marry at an early age tend to experience early pregnancy which has proven to be one of the most dangerous causes of early death, vulnerability to sexual transmitted infections and disease, and also the development of vesicovaginal fistula which is an abnormal duct between the vaginal wall and bladder or urethra. In a research carried by some groups of medical practitioners, it was discovered that there was a high prevalence of vesicovaginal fistula in the Northern states and has been linked with early marriages which in most cases comes with an unpleasant or foul smell from the body of the victims.
The Child’s Right Act of 2003 prohibits child marriages and betrothals. In section 21 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, any marriage contracted by anyone less than 18 years is invalid. This is why there have been a lot of emphasis, particularly in recent times, for all citizens to have access to basic education.
In a bid to address the way in which the girl-child is positioned vis-a-vis in our society, the United Nations marks October 11 as the International Day of the Girl child in other to promote girls’ personality, change the mentality of the society as regards their womanhood, promote their human rights, highlight the case of gender inequalities, discourage the act of child marriage, enlightenment of the parents as regards child marriage, and other problems influencing the female gender.
It is of convincing reasons that the degrading attitudes toward the girl child must come to a final halt. Every child must be treated equally and given equal chances to thrive and explore, and most especially, the traditional orientation that views the girl child as ‘little or no priority’ must be rejuvenated in a way that will embrace the foremost importance of the girl child. The world has evolved tremendously, females are leading mighty nations; thus we must uphold the notion that no child is worst and every child is best—irrespective of the gender.
