International day of girl child: rights still trampled in Cameroon
Cameroonian women and girls empowerment advocate and founder of Actions for Development and Empowerment (ADE), Nancy Saiboh has urged government and stakeholders to act for the rights of girls and women to be fully respected in society.
She was speaking during an interview granted in audience to commemorate the 10th edition of the International day of the girl child on October 11th, 2022.
The theme for this year’s celebration is “Our time is now, our rights our future”.
According to Nancy Saiboh, the international day of the girl child is a day authorities must use to assess their work:
“It is a wake up call for government and stakeholders in the country to highlight issues women and girls face in our society, empower them and amplify their voices.”
She says when a girl child is educated, she is more likely to live a healthy, productive and fulfilling life: “When girls receive the right health care services, they grow up with a greater sense of confidence and autonomy.”
It should be noted that there has been an increase in the level of attention given to issues that matter to girls among governments, policy makers and the general public. However, there is a need for them to create more opportunities for women and girls to have their voices heard on the global stage.
Investments in girls right in Cameroon remains limited as they continue to confront a myriad of challenges such as rape, early marriages, violence amongst others.
Nancy Saiboh says there is a need for the government to include more women in leadership roles in our country, secure equal participation and opportunities for them while promoting girl child education and access to better health care services.
She concluded by saying, the women on their part need to build their skills and confidence in other to achieve their potentials and have influence over decisions that affect their lives. “ we need more empowered girls to change our society, an educated girl is an empowered girl,”.
