Standing Up For Teenage Girls’ Rights

Monday, July 11, 2016 was World Population Day. The theme for this
year’s celebration is “Investing in Teenage Girls”. Giving the odds young girls face in the world currently, the theme cannot be more apt. with wars and extreme poverty in parts of the world, the rights of young girls can be the first to go.
As usual, countries across the globe marked the day with talks, shows and support for teenage girls that have been violated, deprived and afflicted. While the world is concerned and looking for ways of finding help for this vulnerable group of people, very little is heard from Nigeria.
For a country that has first hand example of how vulnerable teenage girls can be, as typified by the Chibok girls saga, Nigeria cannot afford to take the back bench in this crusade. Indeed, the theme for this year’s celebration provides Nigeria the opportunity to update the world on what it had done, what mileage covered and the hopes left for the Chibok girls.
It is sad that the Federal Government was quoted as saying that it would not want to make bogus promises on the subject. Apart from the fact that the ruling political party had made wild promises even on the subject, the Nigerian Government ought to know that the time for promises is over. It is time for results.
The United Nations proclaimed the World Population Day for the first time in the year 1989. Incidentally, what provoked it was the un-expected rise in world population to five billion in two years before. In spite of gains made along that line, world population is still an issue that the civilised world cannot afford to ignore.
Over the years, considerations for the day have spread from population control to reproductive health, gender issues, family planning, sexuality education, safety, marriages, maternal and child health rights among others. Indeed, if the civilised world would take seriously the burden of the United Nations on the subject so much will change for the better.
The Tide underscores the alert from the Ese that challenges facing teenage girls are enormous. We concur that in many parts of the world, including Nigeria, there are still incidences of forced marriage, early motherhood and gender-based violence, which represent the greatest barrier to girls, access to fruitful future.
We also agree with the United Nations that if fully educated, the girl-child can become agent of change, especially in addressing issues of gender equality. Experience has shown that females are even more central to human development across the world. This should not be allowed to waste.
Apart from the joy and beauty females bring to humanity from being daughters, sisters, wives, mothers, companions and life coaches, women are endowed with qualities that society cannot but cultivate. A girl that is allowed to grow properly, educated and motivated can be depended upon in more than the men in many ways. This set of persons that colour life, defuse tension among others should not be destroyed because they are tender.
That is why it is sad that owing to ignorance, some persons would prefer to take advantage of girls and violate them. Society still fails to place priority on female education and health. In the northern part of Nigeria, child marriages often result in VVF (damage to the female reproductive organ), while the mutilation of female genitals in the South result in avoidable lasting ills, even death.
The Tide thinks that Nigeria is too educated and civilised to continue with these harmful practices that limit the abilities of the teenage girl. No matter how irrestible and vulnerable these girls can be, society should ensure that they are mature enough before they are introduced to sex or assigned roles, even that of early motherhood.
Only recently, reports of older men abducting and/or eloping with teenage girls, like that of Oruru of Bayelsa State become national sing song. Such girls are often put in the family way and later forced to take up the religion of their abductors. This is evil and must stop. But that will only be achieved when the Oruru case that is in court gets the judgment that it deserves. The world is watching.