SID Initiative Call for Greater Investment in Empowerment of the Girl Child, More Access to Sexual Reproductive Health Information and Services
In commemoration of the
International Day of the Girl Child, Youth Advocates have called for increased investment
in the empowerment of the girl child and greater access to sexual reproductive
health information and services.
The 2019 edition themed, “Empowering
Girls for a Brighter Tomorrow” in Lagos was organized by Sustainable Impact and
Development Initiative (SID Initiative) in collaboration with Girl Pride
Circle, Improved Sexual Health and Rights Advocacy Initiative (ISHRAI) and
supported by Nigerian Urban Reproductive Health Initiative 2. It convened 160 community
leaders, parents and young girls and women at Agege Youth Center, to mark the
global day.
SID Initiative’s Executive
Director, Ms. Elizabeth Talatu Williams said the major challenge of a girl
child in Nigeria was access to sexual reproductive health information and adolescent
youth-friendly services including empowerment opportunities.
“Nigeria cannot reap the
benefits of the demographic dividend without empowering the majority of girls
and women in the country. The government needs to prioritize the empowerment of
the girl child by increasing access to sexual reproductive health information
and adolescent youth friendly services which would enable them to make informed
decisions and fulfill their true potential”, Elizabeth said.
Elizabeth highlighted the sexual
and reproductive health issues facing girls and women in the country which
include but not limited to unplanned pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, gender-based
violence, and FGM. She urged parents and community leaders to educate their
children and wards on their sex and sexuality.
Also speaking, the founder of Girl
Pride Circle, Olaoluwa Abagun empowered the girls with skills and knowledge to
fight against gender-based violence. She also called on government and civil
society organizations to uphold justice for survivors of gender-based violence
and that the victim is never at fault.
Mr. David Ita, 2019 AVAC Fellow
empowered the girls with HIV/AIDS education including PreP. He encouraged the
girls to go for their HIV test to enable them know their status. He also called
on the government to increase the awareness of HIV prevention interventions
especially PreP.
The
girls and women were empowered with adequate sexual reproductive health and
family planning knowledge and provided with HIV testing services by ISHRAI.
Also, they were empowered with short-term livelihood skills on liquid soap and
toilet disinfectant production.
The representative of Women
Affairs and Poverty Alleviation (WAPA) Agege Local Government, Mrs. Oloruntobi “commended
the efforts of SID Initiative and encouraged the girls to effectively utilize
the skills and knowledge they have acquired to make healthy decisions and
generate income for themselves and their families”.
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