Group Holds Summit To Train Young Girls On Skill Acquisition, Financial Literacy

XCAPE, a non-profit organisation fighting against prostitution, has held an event to train young girls on financial literacy and skill acquisition. The group said it was willing to use the event as an avenue to empower the attitude of “learn and lead” among more than 200 young girls in the federal capital.

The group’s coordinator, Amanda Kingsley, said the aim is to contribute to eradicating poverty among women. She said the organisation would achieve this through capacity building, teaching, mentoring, and advocacy for the girl child.

“As you all know, when you empower a woman, you have succeeded in empowering the society,” Ms Kingsley said at Saturday’s event.

“We want the girl child to be educated and self-reliant. That is why our main focus is to build their self-confidence and help them discover career paths as we teach them skills acquisition and financial literacy.”

Ultimately, this creates an enabling environment where our women and girl-child enjoy their entire economic, social, and political rights and become future women walking the fulness of their leadership potential.

Aisha Kaltungo, the Director National Human Rights Commission, Abuja metropolitan office, who also spoke at the event, said: “The commission has a very bright mandate in line with the universal declaration of human rights, which states that all persons are supposed to enjoy equal rights. But as we all know, the girl child has become a subject of marginalisation.”

She said the girl child suffered a lot of molestation in society and other forms of abuse in the country. To address these forms of marginalization of the girl child, Ms Kaltungo said the commission had created a special department for women and children for issues related to girl child to be channelled to that department.

The commission is collaborating with global rights groups to introduce strong policies that will promote and protect the rights of the girl child in Nigeria.

On his part, Steven Onyepo, UNESCO project manager on the Spotlight Initiative, said he sees education as the most crucial asset for society.

“I want to assure you that anyone who is educating the girl child is a friend of UNESCO,” he said, adding that “In line with Vision 2030, our focus is to bring education to the girl child and ensure quality education for all.”

He added that UNESCO would continue to support young girls to make their voices and ideas heard for sustainable development and peace. 

“Parents must fulfil the duty to give the child basic protection. These include protection from child marriage, not being harmed, protection from sexual violence, being shielded from exploitative labour, or being enlisted in any military operation,” he said.