Mastercard Foundation: Right of Girl to be Upskilled for Optimum Impact

Throughout the world, millions of girls are being deprived of a fundamental right – the right to education. 

This all-important right outlined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of 1984 has been reinforced, recognised as a global priority, and incorporated into developmental agendas over the past decades. 

Developed nations have made tremendous, progressive commitments towards achieving higher rates in girl education. However, the reality in most developing nations, including Nigeria, seems to be far from ideal. 

Statistics show that more than half of the 10.5 million out-of-school children in Nigeria are girls – the highest in the world, indicating that for every five out-of-school children there are three girls. 

The constraints faced by girls such as social exclusion, cost, distance, poverty, gender inequality, traditional influences and early marriage, as well as parental literacy, continue to sideline many girls from getting an education. 

In Northern Nigeria, gender norms and stereotypes that define girls primarily by their function as wives and mothers often exclude them from decision-making processes and community involvements. They, therefore, reach adult age without control over many areas of their lives. 

With the efforts of many organisations and particularly, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), an agency of the United Nations, the mindset of many families has started shifting and particular attention is now being paid to the girl. 

In 2012, the International Day of the Girl was established and has become a renowned day, as it has reached the milestone of a decade of existence. This day has contributed to the empowerment of girls and women all over the world. It has brought focus to addressing challenges faced by adolescent girls and women. 

The day also to celebrates their empowerment and fulfilment of rights. The day has created huge awareness of the right to a safe, educated, and healthy life for adolescent girls in their formative years, continuing until they mature into women.

It is pertinent to add that SDG Goal 5 is fully focused on gender parity. It aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The targets in Goal 5 as elucidated below specifically clarifies how gender equality and empowerment for all women and girls can be achieved. 

It advocates the end of all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere and equally seeks to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls in public and private spheres, including trafficking, sexual violence, and other types of exploitation. 

It further aims to eliminate all harmful practices, such as childhood, early and forced marriage as well as female genital mutilations. 

It recognises values of unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies, and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate. 

It is aimed at ensuring women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic, and public life. 

The goal seeks to ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed per the Programme of Action of the ICPD and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences. 

Given the commitments made, it is time for the girl to be emancipated from all shackles that hold her back and fulfil her potential. 

The quality of girls’ future will be determined by the quality of opportunities they have now to learn and develop relevant skills that will enable them to access, perform, and create dignified and fulfilling work. If this is achieved, there is no limitation for the girl from infancy till adulthood.