H-Metro
THE article we carried this week, of a stepfather who has been jailed five years for trying to rape a 12-year-old girl, shows the dangers the girl faces.
It reveals how our children are in danger from the very people who are supposed to protect them.
Everyday these things are happening.
We need to protect the women and the girl child.
The initiatives we have are not enough.
For more than 25 years, the 16 Days of Activism Campaign has been happening between November 25 and December 10.
Last year, the UNITE campaign marked the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign under the theme, “Orange the World: Generation Equality Stands against Rape!”
Two years later, rape is still a big issue haunting our African society.
The biggest victim of GBV is still the girl child, or women, in general.
We all have a responsibility to fight for the rights of the girl child and to ensure that she does not continue to be a victim.
The majority of children, who have no access to education, are girls.
The percentage has been decreasing but there is still a percentage difference, of about eight percent, compared to the boy child, when it comes to accessing education.
We, as a continent, need to go back to the reasons behind the commemoration of such days.
There is a need to end the suffering, injustice and all the sad realities being faced by the African girl child.
How many African children have access to education, health services, food, shelter . . . all their basic necessities?
How many African children are enjoying all their rights as human beings?
The answers to the above questions are sad and worrying.
It is sad to note that 57 million children in Africa, of primary school age, are out of school, and 31 million of them are girls.
What is even sadder is the fact that around 50 percent of those children are in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Primary school is when the children are supposed to learn all the basics.
We should look over the wall and try to establish why our neighbours’ children keep crying.
Every adult should take it as his or her responsibility to “Eliminate Harmful Social and Cultural Practices affecting Children” around us.
The Government and law enforcement agents should step in and ensure that children are always taken care of.
Every woman must be informed about and protected from rape.
The saddest thing about rape is that the perpetrators never learn.
Even though hundreds of men continue to be incarcerated for rape, or attempted rape, the crime continues to be committed.
The evil part is that some men are so heartless they even rape young girls, who cannot protect themselves.
