Women
IDG 2023: Addressing Challenges Of The Girl Child
The International Day of the Girl-Child, IDG, observed annually on the 11th of October is a global platform to advocate for the full rights of girls. The day is used to create awareness that the girl-child is being relegated to the background in some quarters, hence, the need for urgent step to be taken so as to empower her through education and skills acquisition.
This has become important because when you train a girl, you train a nation.
The 2023 theme, Invest in Girl’s Pride, Digital Generation, Our Generation.
As the girl-child was celebrated all over the globe, stakeholders have called for gender equality policies for the girl child because factors such as underage marriage, lack of water and sanitation, insecurity, poverty, lack of sanitary materials, genital mutilation, among others affect their lives. The girl needs equal opportunity.
The Rivers State Chairman of the National Association of Women Journalists, NAWOJ, Mrs. Susan Nwikhana- Serekara, maintained that there is need for urgent intervention in the issues that affect the girls negatively.
The girl-child should be confident and realise that she is valuable bearing in mind that cultural and other hindrance cannot stop them from achieving her goals in life. The girls should not sell themselves and government should ensure that the girls are protected in schools and wherever they find themselves. Girls should support each other.
Reports have it that low percentage of the girls have access to secondary school education in Nigeria. Apart from efforts by parents, relevant authorities, NGOs especially the female folks should assist the girls in providing educational materials to enable compete favourably with their peers.
Equal opportunity for girls is important as it will serve them well. Socio cultural practices have been hampering their performances. The deserve quality education this 21st century.
Corruption is one of the problems affecting some of the provisions that should be for them. They are subjected to cruel practices in the name of religion and culture.
Nigeria adopted the resolution about gender inequality with optimism that the female gender can bring change to the globe. We are optimistic that the objectives will be realised.
Women and girls should not be looked at as weaker sex any more. Females should occupy the same space as their male counterpart.
Adolescent girls should be empowered. They should be allowed to put their minds on what they want to become in life. Parents should not put all their income on the boys but should share it between the girls and the boys. Since youths are leaders of tomorrow, girls too are involved.
The responsibility of cleaning the house should not be for the girls alone while the boys go about playing. Discrimination between the two should not be encouraged. In certain quarters, girls are not allowed to eat certain food thereby denying them some required nutrients.
One day, the girls will grow into womanhood.
We can say that the world has made tremendous impact in the lives of the girls. The world has been conscious about the lot of girls. They have been given some opportunities in terms of computer and they are doing well. But the stereotype still remains but it can be removed. They are being looked down on. If the women have to be allowed to explore, then it starts from the girl.
When girls enroll into some disciplines like Engineering and Surveying where you have greater number of boys, they are being seen as those who missed their ways. When a woman drives with little errors on the roads, you hear some comments like, no wonder is a woman. Soft and hard should go together.
As the world marks International Day of the Girl -Child, parents, guardians and care givers should know the whereabouts of the female children. Very often, you hear that a girl has been kidnapped on her way to school, market or church. Parent should invest in the girl child so that she will not get into prostitution.
Parents should help the girls achieve their dreams in life and not to discourage them in their chosen professions. Parents should not select careers for the girls. They can do well all professions provided there is a level playing ground. Days are gone when girls were impregnated by unknown persons thereby making them drop out of schools.
it is important to give the girl good upbringing that will make her useful in the society. Women teach and transfer good values to children. Women are groomers and trainers.
When you give birth to a girl child, you have to train her well. Do not feel that when you finish training her, she will get married to another man which will make her change her name.
The girl-child is faced with underage marriage, sexual abuse in work places and educational institutions. These have to be checked before it becomes late.
The world will be a better place if girls and women are allowed to showcase their potentials when they are treated equally. The world can still go further. A lot are still hidden. If there is any time to restore the dignity of the girl -child, it is now.
Culturally, the girl child is not valued as the male child. It is believed that when a couple give birth to a female child without males, there will tension in the family. For the man, some friends and relatives will advise him to go another wife. Sometimes some women will be threatened for not having male children in the homes.
When it comes to sharing of fathers property, the discrimination comes in. Even when some state governments have approved that women should partake in the share of their fathers property, some persons have refused to adhere to that.
Some of the reasons according to them is that if certain portion of land is allocated to the woman, she may not want to marry outside.
By: Eunice Choko -Kayode
IVY-K Fashion by Igiebor Daddy Lucky, a Nigerian-born designer now based in the UK, has launched the latest menswear line, Dapper Man.
One of the collection’s strengths is its classic, clean aesthetic. Dapper Man delivers sharp, structured suits in a timeless black and white color scheme that exudes a sense of luxury and professionalism. The use of high-quality fabrics like wool and silk ensures that the suits not only look high-end but also feel luxurious to the wearer. The designer’s focus on detail is evident in the meticulous tailoring, with fitted blazers and crisp trousers forming the foundation of the collection.
Where IVY-K Fashion shines is in the subtle yet elegant touches. The inclusion of beads as embellishments on lapels and cuffs adds a unique flair, blending traditional craft with modern tailoring. This nod to African heritage gives the collection a distinct identity, offering something more personal and culturally significant than your standard menswear line.
However, despite the elegance of the Dapper Man collection, there is a lingering sense of missed opportunity. The black-and-white color palette, while classic, feels overly safe. In a fashion landscape where bold colors and daring patterns often make the strongest impact, the collection could benefit from incorporating more vibrant hues or experimenting with unconventional fabrics. Pushing the envelope with color or texture could elevate these designs from simply elegant to truly memorable.
In addition, while the tailoring of the blazers and trousers is immaculate, the collection lacks a sense of playfulness or modern edge that many contemporary menswear lines are embracing. The suits are undoubtedly stylish, but the collection as a whole leans heavily on tradition. Experimenting with asymmetrical cuts, bold patterns, or even layering could add an exciting dimension to Dapper Man. The challenge is to maintain the sleek sophistication of the collection while infusing it with a fresh, innovative spirit.
Another area that could use improvement is the overall cohesion of the collection. While the suits are well-crafted, there is a feeling of repetition across the pieces. More variation in design, such as different lapel styles, pocket configurations, or even bolder accessories, would give the collection greater diversity and visual interest.
In conclusion, Dapper Man by Igiebor Daddy Lucky showcases the designer’s strong grasp of classic tailoring and elegant design, but to truly capture the attention of a broader audience, IVY-K Fashion would benefit from more daring choices. By infusing the collection with bold colors, unexpected textures, and a more modern edge, Dapper Man could move from a well-crafted line to a trendsetting force in men’s fashion. With such a solid foundation, there’s no doubt that Igiebor Daddy Lucky has the potential to lead his brand toward greater heights
The trend of indecent dressing all in the name of fashion is fast becoming a norm in our generation and society at large. Most married women embrace this fashion as competition with single ladies.
Different scholars have given an in depth insight about dressing as a tool of communication. Non-verbal communication has been asserted as the communication between people by the means of signs or symbols. It conveys what we wish to disseminate to the public as either intentionally or not.
According to Paul Ekman and Michael Argyle, communication is carried out through what has been classified as “Presentational Code”. He listed nine codes of non-verbal communication, as body contact, facial expression, gestures, postures, eye movement, proximity, orientation, head nods and appearance.
This, being stated, married and single ladies should understand that their mode of dressing is communicative be it directly or indirectly as such body parts we call “private” are now being made public because of the trends or wearing of transparent dresses and this in turn calls on the attention of men who are weak and prone to illicit thoughts thus, resulting to most rape cases in our society.
This indecent dressing by most ladies has denied many their future husbands. The truth is that a man is attracted to his kind; his desires in marriage. It is often asserted that decency and beauty are in the eyes of the beholder, yet, in trending times of this 21st century, dress code and fashion in nudity form is gaining popularity.
This has become complicated as most men tend to toggle between their emotions (lust) and sanity (rationality) in terms of marriage, thereby setting a wrong foundation upon which most marriages are consummated.
On the other hand, most married women have embraced the trend of indecent dressing nipping it on the state of it being the choice dressing, approved by their spouses, leaving society with the question of what “responsible” man would prefer that the secrecy of the benefit of his marital vow has become the centre of attraction and viewership by the general public.
Hence, communicating with their dressing gas given licence to every male gender who is interested or attracted to what they see to make unsolicited sexual passes at them, which might be considered embarrassing.
At this juncture, it is important to state that ladies should dress decently knowing that they are the epitome of nation-building, they are nation-builders, character moulders and pacesetters not just in the lives of their families but to the society at large.
In most occasions, there are no clear border lines between the married women and the single ladies because of the rate of scanty dressing which has close the gap of differences.
Women and girls should embrace this call awakening to decent mode of dressing. Dresses that are meant to be worn indoors should remain indoors.
It is worrisome to see ladies wear shorts that are supposed to be worn in the living room on the streets without shame. This is an awakening call to our ladies, married and singles that the opposite sex do not expose their private body parts for the public. Sometimes, the ladies go about in the streets without wearing brazziers as to showcase their nipples.
The society should be sanitised of the menace of indecent dressing that is lurking and taking over the entire nooks and crannies of the society and the nation at large.
Let it be known that he or she is addressed in the manner he or she is dressed. There may be no room for a second impression. To the single ladies, your dressing decently will not stop you from meeting your Mr Right rather, it will increase your stake and place you on the list of most valued women in the society.
Dressing speaks louder than words.
Kate Chisom Isiocha
Isiocha is an OND final year student of Temple Gate Polytechnic.
