By Precious D. Freeman
The Girls Alliance for Future Leadership (GAFL) has joined all other countries around the world to celebrate 2024 Day of the African Child.
Making remarks at the celebration, under the theme: ‘Education For All Children in Africa: The Time is Now,’ the advocacy officer for GAFL, Kadiatu Bah, explained that every year June 16, they all gathered to remember the 1976 brutal killing of over 100 South African School kids who died in peaceful pursuit of their rights to education.
According to her, the Organization of African Unity (OAU) did well to establish the Day, not only to commemorate the awful event, but to also annually highlight difficulties children are facing across Africa.
Madam Bah said further that the war is long gone but the issues of the war days are still lingering with massive destitution, starvation, poverty, massive corruption and insecurity.
“Children like ever before are the worst sufferers of the uncontrolled deprivation and destitution. Violence, sexual abuse and rape perpetrated against the girl child in Liberia are unchecked,” she said.
She added that girls are not safe and that the Liberian government under the Congress for Democratic Change used the Legislature to legitimize Female Genital Mutilation and child marriage.
SAFL Advocacy Officer noted that FGM is the pipeline for child brides and early teenage marriages, adding that they will not relent until FGM practiced on minor is criminalized by the government.
She is, however, calling on all girls across the country to join the fight by saying no to cutting and yes to education emphasizing, “Tell your lawmakers to protect the Liberian girl child because enough is enough.”
“We are calling on President Joseph Boakai, the Speaker and the President Pro-temp to revisit and amend the Domestic Violence Law of 2019 to criminalize FGM on girls 17 years and below,” she proposed.
Girls Alliance for Future Leadership, is a young women advocacy group aimed at supporting women’s participation in politic.
