Plan Int’ tasks FG on girls’ empowerment

The Plan International Nigeria, a girls’ rights organisation, has urged the federal government to help the cause of the nation’s girls and young women in the formulation and reformation of policies and legislative acts, especially by those with constitutional responsibilities.

The Country Director, Plan International Nigeria, Mr Charles Usie, made the call in Abuja at the formal launch of a new campaign, #StandWithGirls.

He said their support would be pivotal in shaping an environment that nurtures the growth and development of girls, providing them with the opportunities to learn, thrive, lead and make informed decisions.

“The #StandWithGirls campaign by Plan International seeks to rally individuals, institutions, and structures into a movement led by, for, and of girls. It is dedicated to mobilising and organising through solidarity actions, petitions, capacity building, and empowerment to drive transformative change.

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“Girls and women are not passive bystanders in the journey toward transformation and it’s unacceptable to treat them so. As an organisation, we firmly stand in solidarity with girls and young women. Our stance encompasses education as a fundamental right, opposition to child and forced marriages and girls’ agency and self-organisation as a right,” he said.

Citing UNICEF’s reports which indicate that 129 million children worldwide are out of school with only 42% of countries achieving gender parity in education, Usie said the stark reality needed a radical change in favour of girls.

He also said that the repercussions of these practices extend to alarming levels of domestic violence, partner battery, sexual assault, and abuses, disproportionately affecting girls and young women as primary burden bearers.