A public affairs commentator and philanthropist, My Lucky Ehiwuogwu Monye, has called for enhanced support for the girl- child.
In a statement he issued on the occasion of the International Day of the Girl- Child, Monye said greater emphasis should be accorded the girl- child of today compared to her predecessors.
According to him, girls, who later become women, wives and mothers, are a pivot of the society.
Describing the girl- child as the biological, social , demographic and cultural half of the human society, Monye stressed that no society could attain its full development potentials without the active participation of its female segment, symbolized by the girl- child.
He said that since the active participation of women in the development of the society was only possible with their sustainable motivation, no efforts should be spared by the government, parents and agents of socialization in preparing them for their vital roles.
Monye said that it was imperative for the girl- child to have adequate parenting, sufficient viable life long skills and effective formal education for better living in an increasingly competitive world in which she is expected to rise beyond her traditional role as a wife, mother and primary care- giver of the child, to a reckonable contributor to the wholesome socio- economic development of the society.
With specific reference to the Nigerian society, he noted that the needs of the girl- child had increased of late with the growing incidence of trafficking, especially of girls, and the alarming rate of money ritual which disproportionately targets women and girls.
He called for the effective resolution of the challenges that inhibit the positive full development of the girl-child.
