FIDA marks the international day of the girl child
By Bernadette Idalu
The Benin Chapter of the International Federation of Female Lawyers, yesterday, October 11, 2022, organized a symposium for teenage girls where they got mentored, even as the students interacted, asked questions and challenged standards for appraising conducts of females and males in their attempt to break barriers and shatter their individual glass ceilings for societal impact, during the commemoration of the, " International day of the girl child" whose theme was, "Our time is now, our rights, our future."
Despite the aphorism that, "The future is female" participants drawn from secondary schools voiced their fears, frowning at societal standards, bias and preference of the male over the female child.
Chairperson, FIDA, Edo State Chapter, Mrs. Violet Oghogho Olumese, Esq, while welcoming participants to the tenth (10th) anniversary of the girl child stated the day came into being at the Beijing declaration of 2011, where the United Nations decided to focus on issues faced by adolescent girls all over the world.
She observed that there has been increased awareness on issues that matter to girls amongst governments, policy matters and the general public such as early marriages, female genital mutilation, rights to inheritance, trafficking, sexual exploitation, sanitary care, abstinence, forced labour, proper use of the internet and education.
FIDA Chairperson, Olumese, (middle) with resource persons and other FIDAns
at the ocassion
Dr. Roseline Okosun of the "Edo Women's Development Initiative" a resource person, got the attention of participants when she shared an unfolding story bothering on rape/incest, with the advise to girls to avoid close proximity with pastors who prey on them and their emotions through assurances of being spiritual fathers and rallying points for support.
She mentored the students on standing up for themselves and asserting their rights even as she frowned against gender inequality, harassment and even rape of minors by guardians, pastors and even biological fathers of recent.
She acknowledged that women have been more of a bane to other women when we look at laws which guide widowhood in the traditional setting in Nigeria, suppression of women in marriages, discrimination in associations, maltreatment of females in relationships.
Summing her argument, she said, "I will say those women who are pulling others down do not understand. Some of them are naive, some of them are just being mischievous. We know that some women have burnt; are stumbling blocks to many other women. Culture is part of it.
"But when you pick them and catch them young, which is what we are doing now, to try to get them to change their mindset that they are not second hand citizens but also at the forefront, they are like their brother, they are females who grow up to become leaders not female leaders, that is what we are training every young girl into. It is our new language. We need to change the mindset. And those women who had been stumbling blocks to us are changing because they see we are not progressing but retrogressing.
"We will continue with the message until we enter our graves. We will not be tired to tell the truth from the lie among women, that things have to be done properly and that before God we are all equal and gender thrown aside. It is time for women to sit at the front stage even in politics."
Barr Juliet Aimienrovbiye of the Department of Private and Property Law, Faculty of Law, University of Benin, another resource person,
while suing for increased legal protection of the girl child, as part of the body of fundamental human rights, as enshrined in Chapter 4, of the 1999 Constitution, as she treated the topic, "Protection of girl child rights in Nigeria: Lessons and precepts," asserted that the girl child needs access to food and water especially those living in rural areas to help ease the stress associated with her cycle of physiological monthly changes.
State Legal Adviser, Forum of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Hajia Sule Rukayat speaking from the Islamic perspective noted that everything FIDA discussed has a baseline in Islam and in the Koran. "God said don't go near formication. The Prophet Mohammed said a male and female should not stay alone in a private place because Satan would come in to entice the man to sin and do evil.
"The Koran also advises parents to separate male and female children from sleeping in the same room as soon as they become ten years old. These laws are to prevent sin, incest and adultery. These are backed by the hadiths, constitutional and Vapp law."
Reacting to the notion that female participants felt hedged in and frowned at the vantage given to the male child over their female counterpart even in homes, she said Islam is very emphatic on giving equal rights to both male and female, this is visible in the law of inheritance where the female has the right to inherit from her father, mother and from the husband's property. She also has the right to own properties.
The FOMWAN scribe informed that both genders have equal rights; the only difference is that females cannot lead as an Imam. Only a male is qualified to do so. We have female associations where females address other women, she informs though she nonetheless agreed that underage marriage is not encouraged.
The Vice Chairman, Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Benin, (Lion Bar), Barr. Ebehitale Osarumwense as part of the goodwill from the NBA through her office, shared sanitary pads to participating students.
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