Benjamin Kalu Seeks Protection For Girl Child

Eko Hot Blog reports that Deputy speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has called for the need to protect the girl child.

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He disclosed this when he received a Non- Governmental Organization delegation of the Female Student Vanguard for Girl Child Education in Nigeria, during a courtesy visit in Abuja.Kalu, who surmised that there was a high percentage of illiterate girls, said the efforts put in place to address the issue wasn’t generating desired results, hence the rural areas needed more schools built in favourable locations  to fight this worrisome trend.

In his words: “The long distances girls have to travel to school, expose them to gender based violence, including sexual harassment like you mentioned such as rape. The closer we bring the schools to the communities the better. Within every 5 kilometers there should be a school. So that girls in the rural areas will not be exposed to violence.”

Kalu, while thanking the group for honouring him with an icon of exemplary leadership award, promised to adopt the Female Students Vanguard for Girl Child education as one of his pet projects.

“Talking about girl child education, education, it is a fundamental right, an important tool for empowerment and development of any nation,” he said.

“In Nigeria, gender inequality in education remains a major concern. I appreciate you for taking up this advocacy to provide a solution.

“Many don’t know what girls go through. Many comfortable girls or women don’t know what indigent girls go through in the rural areas. For you to set out to be their voices to make sure their basic needs are met, you’re champions in my eyes.

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“It is not only happening in the North, it is happening in the South and every other parts of the country. It ought not to be so, we need to take steps towards reducing the percentage. Boko Haram abduction of school girls from Chibok in Borno State in 2014 sent shock waves around the world, we are yet to recover from the shock.

“There is hope that the current administration will right the wrongs of past administrations in regards to the girl child. I am sure very soon the percentage will reduce from what it is now to a manageable percentage.”

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