By Ude Ogbonnaya Israel
Some stakeholders in Bauchi have proposed the need to push for modalities that will create equal educational opportunities for the menstruating girl child with that of the male folk.
This proposal gained limelight at a one day session with young women and adolescent girls in commemoration of the 2022 International Day For the girl child as faicilitated by Plan International Nigeria and funded by Kotext.
The project Coordinator of Plan International in Bauchi Afolabi Ahmed hinted the interest of the donor to support selected 30 schools in three local government areas of the state with setting up of a Sanitary pad Bank.
He explained that the strategy will afford the girls equal level playing ground with her male counterparts who does not miss class for any reason.
“While the girl child is in class, the period comes, she get stigmatised or be discriminated by her male colleagues which may prevent her from coming to school the next day or coming at all;
” But if we have this Pad Banks in each of the schools and the period comes while she is in class during lesson, the girl child can easily go to the school clinic or counseling unit to acesss sanitary pad that she will use and go back to class without having to miss the lessons or school eventually”, he said.
Participants at the dialogue who made their various submissions stressed the need to support them in addressing all issues affecting the girl-child, especially in the area of education.
In her submission, one of the discussants Zuwaira Baba, Gender Desk Officer Bauchi State Primary Health Care Development Agency, advice parents to stop giving priorities to their male children as against their female counterparts.
Another participants, Asma’u Yahaya of the Association of Persons Living with Disabilities Bauchi, suggested that the laws protecting the girl-child should be reviewed and updated, and the girl be enlightened to enable her speak up on her rights.
Some of the adolescent girls featured in the dialogue recounted their ordeals in handling the issues of menstruation lamenting its ripple effects of creating low self esteem, denying them equal acesss to opportunities among others.
Our correspondent reports that the discussion which centred on the theme: Equal Power In Leadership, Decision Making Political Participation For Girls also sought to address the issues of the girl child, her family and community.
