The Senate has requested that the Federal Government proclaim a state of emergency for the protection and welfare of girl children to meet the needs of girls all around the nation in terms of their health, safety, and education.
In addition, the upper house called on state governments to domesticate and implement the Violence Against Persons (Prohibition) Act and the Child Rights Act, emphasizing the need to end harmful customs like female genital mutilation.
The motion on the state of Nigerian female children and the pressing need for federal government involvement to rescue Nigerian girls’ futures was made by Senator Ireti Kingibe, and these resolutions were the result.
Ireti voiced concern about the prevalence of girl-child marriage in Nigeria, with alarming figures in the northern zones. The Nigeria Demographic and Health Survey (NDHS) of 2018 revealed that over 44% of females were married before turning 18, with high rates in states like Sokoto, Bauchi, and Zamfara.
Two days before the International Day of the Girl Child, which is commemorated on October 11 each year, a sizable number of Senators voiced their support for the proposal.
