The House of Representatives has urged the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA), the National Orientation Agency (NOA), and other relevant stakeholders to initiate ways of educating and sensitizing adolescent girls on the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse.
The House also urged the Ministries, Departments, and Agencies (MDAs) that are saddled with the responsibility of training and empowerment to ensure compulsory vocational skills acquisition training for girls to keep them engaged and productive enough to keep them away from drugs.
It further urged the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, the Maryam Babangida National Center for Women Development, and the National Agency Prohibition of Trafficking In Persons (NAPTIP) to build well-furnished rehabilitation shelters/homes for sexual abuse survivors across the 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
It also called on the Federal Ministry of Education to drastically reduce/eradicate the number of out-of-school girls by ensuring compulsory free education for girls across the country.
The House mandated the Committee on Women’s Affairs to engage with all relevant Ministries, Departments, and Agencies to ensure compliance.
These resolutions followed the adoption of a motion titled, “Commemoration of the 2023 International Day of the Girl Child ‘Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being’” moved by Hon. Kafilat Ogbara.
The House noted that the 11th of October every year is globally celebrated as International Day of the Girl-Child and this year’s theme is “Invest in Girls’ Rights: Our Leadership, Our Well-being”.
The House said it provides a platform for the global community to understand the disadvantages the Girl-Child faces in life.
It also noted that International Day of the Girl-Child is a day adopted by the United Nations to remind young girls of their uniqueness, strength, and prowess.
The House said it is a day set aside to address issues such as early or child marriage, violence against girls, rape, child molestation, education deprivation and all other issues faced by girls.
The House said the International Day of the Girl Child acknowledges the importance, power and potential of adolescent girls around the world by spotlighting other issues such as poor learning opportunities, discrimination, tackling issues posed by stereotypes and exclusion of children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities.
The motion reads: “The House also aware that adolescent girls have the right to a safe, educated and healthy life, investing in girls’ leadership includes creating space and platforms for girls to raise their voices at every level of policymaking;
“The House is further aware that in most countries, patriarchy and power dynamics affords boys comparative advantages compared to girls in most domain; the last survey from UNICEF revealed that 18.5 million children are out of school, and out of this number, 60% are girls a factor that left them behind across multiple dimensions;
“The House is worried about the high number of out-of-school girls that engage in drugs and other vices, throughout history, girls have been systematically held back and undervalued in society;
“The House informed that investment in critical steps such as the Girls Rights under the Convention of the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) will help to fast track the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations.
“The House also informed that the current trend in Nigeria reveals that young girls who are sexually abused by their parents/guardians, return back to the same house where they were abused after police intervention.”
