The Agony of The Girl Child
It would be ironical for one to ask the question; Who is the girl child? Of course our society today would jump into answering that she is that little female child found in the family whose opinion doesn’t count, so sending her to school holds no profit for the family. The family’s wealth must not be wasted, another fellow would say. Looking into our society with a bare eye, one would see; that she’s that child who start her slavery adventure from her father’s house and ends it in her husband’s where she’s of course the horse, the elephant and the ant.
To these dehumaning ways which I fear the society see these precious Ones– the girl child, is what every ink of this writing stand against. It’s understandable that the people of the past(the dark times) have made their mistakes in misunderstanding the gift in the girl child thereby paying less, and a whole less attention to investing in these ones, but to see such blind understanding being displayed in our society in the 21st Century, this alone has all it takes to call tears from one’s eyes.
The girl child is not a stock that should be laughed at, as one can not exaust the goodness that can reach a family or society through her. The girl child is a brand of the human family whose heart overflows with a lot of care and empathy.
But right there in her father’s house the girl child has already been laden with the active role of helping and carring for the family. She sees to taking good care of her siblings(if she has one) and if not she reduces her father’s and mother’s stress. She goes to school with the intent of making changes to the society where she’s from. She seeks wealth but what’s the intent ? one would ask, and the answer always echoes from her heart, “my family”.
Out there in the government, agency or Carrer, she is not just another boss. She take her motherly nature to the office, determined to do the right thing by refusing to be controlled or misled. Seeing the likes of Dr. Ngozi Okonjo Iweala former Nigeria Finance Minister , late Prof. Dora Akunyili former Director of National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control ,Stella Odua former Aviation Minister, Patricia Ete the first female speaker of Nigeria house of representarives, Virginia Etiaba the first female governor(Anambra state).
And beyond the shores of Africa, Theresa May former prime minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Angela Dorothea Merkel the current chancellor of Germany, Maria Montessori the Italian physician and educator who founded the theory that proves that defective children can learn if taught, seeing these people one is called to know a girl child who was raised as an asset. And the list goes on and on.
It is a shame seeing how our society overlooks the fertile opportunities which these ones-precious ones are prone to exploring in making the society better place. A shame again at a double measure and also a betrayal by parents who send this child out there into the cold world for hawking. It’s no longer news what this girl child face while exercising her compulsory mandate to bring home some money for the family. Most times she’s kidnapped, abused, and killed in the same society which promised her security.
“The family is in need, so let every member help” this is the theory parents defend themselves with thereby exposing the one very gift they’re given to protect. But there are many ways to send her to school, feed even clothe her other than let her pay for it with her life.
“No!” the society may affirm before sending her forth to becoming a slave somewhere in the abode of another stranger, hoping to use her bring home some resources for training her siblings. In such abode where she play the role of which she’s never reharsed nor given the chance to. She becomes the mother in the kitchen, cooking and serving with same prowess as a world class chef, if not, her chins goes for the fire. The role of a wife she is also given in this strange home where she’s abused.
Our society must come to conceed to their need for moral cleansing in which occasion their eyes are opened to the truth that today, this precious one is a gift. As such should be handled with love and determination to make out of her a like of such crémé dé la crémé as Maria Montessori or at least the type of woman she solely desire to be.
judecreateit@gmail.com