ABUJA – The Director-General, National Centre for Women Development (NCWD), Lady Onyeka Onwenu, on Thursday solicited support for the empowerment of the girl-child for the development of the society.
Onwenu made the call in Abuja at a news conference ahead of a summit to mark the 2014 UN International Day of the Girl-Child, slated to begin on Monday.
The two-day summit tagged,: “Reinforcing the Agenda for the Girl-Child Education”, is aimed at focusing attention on the well-being of the girl-child, among other issues.
According to her, the girl-child must be empowered to protect her against all forms of discrimination and be given equal opportunity and access to education. [eap_ad_2] “While there are, of course, particular circumstances that inhibit the development and advancement of the girl-child in our environment, there are general conditions that apply to all children.
“Article 11 of The African Charter on the rights and welfare of the girl-child harps on education which is the focus of our summit.
“It says that every child shall have the right to education and the education of the child shall be directed to the motivation and development of the child’s personalities to reach their fullest projection,’’ she said.
Onwenu further said that education was a vital tool for child empowerment, and that it provided room for the child’s meaningful contribution to the society.
She said that the acquisition of information and skills through education led to increased earning power, which also helped to reach all developmental objectives.
Onwenu also said that some of the objectives of the forthcoming summit included the improvement of child health, pre-natal health and strengthening of the role and status of women, among others.
She said that the girl-child also consistently faced the challenges of exclusion from and within the education system.
“From early childhood to secondary school to adulthood – all these things impede her pathway to higher education and a lifetime of learning,’’ Onwenu said. (NAN) [eap_ad_3]