The Katsina State Chapter of the Civil Society Organizations has appealed to the state government to fully implement the Child Protection Act as well as the domestication of the National Strategy Law to End Child Marriage in the state.

The two important documents passed by the State Government in the last two years ago are expected to also ensure a brighter future for the girl child.

The Chairman of the Katsina State Chapter of the Civil Society Organizations, Abdurrahman Abdullahi Dutsinma, made the appeal on Tuesday in a ceremony to commemorate the 2022 International Day of the Girl Child put together by the Centre For Gender Studies, Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA) in collaboration with Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo Foundation.

According to Dutsinma, the significance of the day is to remember the girl child and their need from society, the government as well as their immediate families in order to grow as responsible and contributing members of society.

He maintained that the two-day celebration with a theme: Our time is now_ our rights, our future program is aimed at sensitising the girl child and other key actors about their responsibilities towards ensuring a better life for the girl child.

He described the issue of poor social protection, high rape cases, social vices, and out-of-school children as some of the challenges facing the girl child in the state, adding that, in June 2022, about 260,000 girls were out of school which he said is very alarming.

“Our major problem in Katsina State is the issue of enrollment and retention of the girl child to the completion of at least secondary level of education.

“There were several instances where parents withdraw their girl child from school halfway. This has serious negative consequences for their future lives,” he noted.

Also speaking at the event, the Director of the Adamu Abubakar Gwarzo Foundation, Dr. Musa Abdullahi Sufi, said the essence is to create awareness and ensure that the general public including the government, the politicians among other stakeholders are aware of their responsibilities in making the girl child education to be a success in order to have more informed mothers, parents, guardians, and leaders in the society.

Earlier in his address, the Vice Chancellor of the Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA), Professor Armaya’u Hamisu Bichi, represented by the university’s Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academics), Dr. Aminu Ado, quoted the Hadith of prophet Muhammad (PBUH) as saying that “Female gender is very important that needs to be taken care, as such educating them he said is just like educating the world”.

Meanwhile, an SS3 science student in one of the participating public schools in the state, Ediora Sale described the nonavailability of practical materials at the school laboratories as one of the factors sabotaging her effort in the course of her studies as a girl child.

Besides, she said, some teachers find it difficult to come to class and teach on time if compared to their counterparts in private schools.

“Even at home, the male child is always being given the upper hand to go to a higher school of learning to study to become something compared to the girl child.

“I hope and pray to become a medical doctor after completing my studies,” she said.

In a related development, a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre For Gender Studies, Federal University Dutsinma (FUDMA), Safiyya Danmusa, recalled some of the enormous challenges she had faced during her studies even though she attended private schools all through.

According to Danmusa, even at the community level, people in the society consider it abnormal to see a girl child attending school beyond the secondary level, stressing that it takes the grace of God for an educated girl child to get married which will in effect make one feel affected mentally.

“The fact of the matter is that not everyone wants to associate with you as an educated girl child. Even your married female friends may show one form of discrimination or the other,” she noted.

The two-day celebrations and programs are categorized into training the girl child on skills acquisition on Day one while on day two is sensitisation on the rights and future of the girl child.