The wife of Abia Governor,
Mrs. Nkechi Ikpeazu, says that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a key factor for promoting gender equality.
Ikpeazu said this on Friday during a Girls’ Summit organised by Protect the Precious Foundation, a nongovernmental organisation(NGO), in Umuahia with the theme ‘Hey Girls Can We Talk’.
Ikpeazu, who was represented by the wife of the Deputy Governor, Mrs Vivian Oko Chukwu, said that educating the girl child in ICT was key to breaking gender stereotypes in the society.
According to her, “ICT remains a great enabler for the empowerment of the girl child for sustainable development”
” A better educated girl child would grow into a better informed woman that would make progressive contributions to gender equality” She said.
The Governor’s wife called on stakeholders to make concerted efforts to ensure that young girls travelling in the wrong trajectory would be encouraged to retrace their steps back to the right direction.
On our own, we are working on introducing a mentorship programme for the boy child, and added that this will be focused on achieving an all round success in the gender equality campaign.
In her speech, Mrs. Norah Okafor, the Lead Person, Protect the Precious Foundation, said that the event was organised to create a safe space for young girls to express themselves and receive help from practical solutions to their challenges.
Okafor said that she is passionate about promoting the cause of the girl child, especially in the area of equipping them with the right information that would enable them to explore their potential.
According to her, “We have come to talk about what we can do to become better and make a positive impact on the society through understanding our gifts and talents,” she said .
In her address, Mrs Onyinyechi Mamah, the Chairperson on Enugu state Gender-Based Violence Committee, said that the right knowledge about gender equality must be communicated from the family.
Mamah expressed that gender stereotypes seen in the society stems from the family as the female gender is made to consciously and subconsciously imbibe as well as accept the stereotypes.”
She maintains that there is need to educate the girl child, explaining that the female gender is as relevant as the male gender in order to break the norm of gender stereotypes.
In a remark, Miss Onyinyechi Nwosu, the Executive Director of Vivacious Development Initiative, an NGO, urged the girl child to engage in activities that would build her into a bold and confident woman.
Nwosu said that it was pertinent for the girl child to develope self esteem and self respect and urged the girl child not to hesitate in speaking out about any form of abuse they encounter.
Contributing, Dr. Ifeoma Kalu, a medical practitioner, urged the girl child to be assertive and not aggressive, adding that it remains a potent measure for tackling emotional abuse.
Kalu said that the manifestations of emotional abuse include intimidation, rejection, belittling or humiliation of the victim by the abuser.
She explains that the effects of emotional abuse could be either long or short term, adding that the best way to deal with it is to speak out about the abuse and seek help from professionals.
