The Federation of Muslim Women Association of Nigeria (FOMWAN), Abuja chapter, has called on the government at all levels to put measures in place to protect and create a conducive environment for the girl-child.
The famous Muslim women organisation in Nigeria that has been advocating for the Muslim girls’ education also urged government to end the discrimination against Hijab in the country.
The Amirah of the organisation, Hajia Bola Risikat Usman, made the appeal today in the Federal capital, during a press briefing, to commemorate the 2019 International Day of the Girl-Child, a United Nations annual event dedicated to celebrating girls, amplifying their voice and standing up for their rights.
The theme for this year is ‘Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable’.
The Apex Muslim Women Asso also urged families and the society to rise to the responsibility of restoring the value and dignity of womanhood by empowering the girl child.
Buttressing the importance of upholding the respect for fundamental human rights, Hajia Usman said, “On this note, we call on the federal government to intervene in the endless battle on the refusal for the use of hijab by some institutions in Nigeria particularly in the south-west.
“The Muslim girl-child in particular should not be deprived her right to education as her education should be given adequate and comprehensive attention just like her male counterpart.
“We call on all other non-governmental organisations to uphold the same calling on the Nigerian government in protecting and creating a conducive environment for the girl-child in the society, particularly in upholding her fundamental human rights to freedom of thoughts, belief and religion.
“As this is the requisite recipe that can make her compete favourably in both the formal and informal employment sector and labour market. Hence, it behoves of the federal and state governments to protect the right and privileges of the girl-child.
“We at FOMWAN, FCT CHAPTER, thus, seek to use this medium to call on the government at all levels to give more priority to the education of the girl-child particularly at the foundational level. We implore the government to make it mandatory on every family to support, train and educate the girl-child by all legitimate means”.
Hajia Risikat, while emphasising the importance of girl-child education and protection, noted that “The girl-child protection at every point in time and place cannot be over-emphasized”.
She said, “We call on all the security agencies to observe due diligence in the protection of the girl-child, ranging from their schools, playgrounds, and other public places. Protecting her in the home is the primary responsibility of her parents but the community must see this as a communal duty too, because an injury to one is an injury to all.
“Kidnapping and raping has become the order of the day in our present day society.We equally plead with our judiciary to apportion the appropriate punishment when the culprits are found guilty of these social vices, justice must be done and seen to be done. This will serve as a deterrent to likely criminals and the incidence of this heinous crimes will reduce naturally.
Charging the society on value restoration, she noted, “In our clime today, the girl-child is the victim of insurgency, rape, irregular migration, slavery of varying degrees of callous inhuman treatment and unwarranted stereotype”.
“The society at large and singular communities must rise up to the task of value re-orientation towards restoring the dignity of women by restoring the rights of girls and giving all children equal opportunities to compete favourably”, she emphasised.