“She is boisterous”, “acts like a boy”, “She comes in overconfident”, “She is too assertive”. These are some of the comments generally made when girls or young women try to defy society’s tag and wrong image of girls.

Traditionally, a girl should be humble, subservient and submissive and not overshadow boys or compete with them for recognition in a male-dominated world. Even in the house of God that subtle “step down” attitude was applied to girls or women until recently when some of those barriers were relaxed. 

In those Churches, girls could not be servers at the altar whereas boys were or are allowed to. Women could not be ordained as priests.  The message of hope was completely closed to the girl or woman no matter how competent.

Thankfully, the picture is either changing or has completely changed and our girls and young women are seeing some ray of hope with the general inclusivity drive which is strongly coming up. 

Also of help are external pressures from women’s groups and international bodies that are giving hope to the future of girls and women.

And so this year’s International Day of the Girl Child observed a couple of weeks ago, with the theme, “Girls Vision for the Future”, sought to draw the minds of decision-makers, local and international, to the fact that the future of girls is important for future development.

The theme must be embraced not just as a lip service but actionable service to the future good of girls.  This future is all-encompassing starting from the home to school to the university and the job market where the progression of girls from youth to adulthood, now and the future must be intentional, and closely monitored for predictable outcomes.

Education

Upfront, one can commend the positive trend in our educational system of late with the free Senior High School (SHS) where formally, parents would have prioritised the education of their sons over that of their daughters where funding was critical. 

With free SHS, there has been a change in the situation according to available statistics.  One is informed that there are more girls entering SHS than there are boys.  Not only that.  Also encouraging is the fact of a shift to get more girls into the study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).

This means breaking the myth and getting girls interested in the area of the Sciences, thus creating hope for the future of girls in terms of expanded career and job opportunities, especially in areas that were traditionally the preserve of boys.

It is also worth noting the forward-looking agenda of some public universities intentionally creating admission quotas to enrol a greater number of females than they used to do.

And as educational policies are being created to entice more girls for a better future, we have organisations and NGOs whose primary aims are to see women and girls’ interest and progress in society. 

Zonta Club

One such organisation is Zonta Club, a service organisation with women and girls at the centre of their operations, working tirelessly to help build a better world for them. 

To mark the International Day of the Girl Child, the Zonta Club of Accra held a day of counselling for girls from the Dome Anglican Junior High School in Accra.

The Vice President of the Club, Mrs. Doris Wunu, in her address during the counselling noted that girls are powerful agents of change, suggesting that the visions of girls must be supported by all.  She acknowledged the challenges girls face as well as their potential, saying, “We should invest in their education, health and their rights by creating a more just and equal society for all.”

She concluded that “Girls’ voices must be heard, rights protected and their future guided,” as she encouraged the girls to think about their future and strive to achieve a better tomorrow for themselves. 

The guest speaker for the day was Madam Adiza Ibrahim, a motivational speaker and a broadcast journalist.

Madam Ibrahim advised the girls to stay focused in life and always have a goal as to what they want to do or achieve. She told them that education was very important so they should not abandon their education for anything else. She advised them to refuse to be pressured by peers and the only time they should follow peers is when they find them on the right path in life.

She advised them to focus on becoming women achievers.

With the theme for the 2024 International Day of the Girl Child focusing on girls’ vision for the future, there is something to believe that the time to celebrate the resilience, creativity and strength of girls is here.  In doing that, one is likely to help create and support a system where every girl gets empowered to dream and dream big and break barriers.

International Day of the Girl is only a reminder that we should all work together to ensure our girls’ voices are heard, their rights protected and their futures are made bright.

*****

The writer can be reached via email at vickywirekoandoh@yahoo.com