Recently, I wrote a review about @girlsfoundation - an initiative by @faetee to help the girls of our society. This gave me an opportunity to read more about girls and I must confess, they are the most oppressed and troubled in this country we live in. Let me back this up with few stories.

<center> ![image](https://img.esteem.ws/eye84wetsk.jpg)[Pixabay CC0](https://pixabay.com/en/child-portrait-girl-model-young-1871104/)</center>

  ![image](https://img.esteem.ws/9hmikn17ix.jpg)

During Aminat's naming ceremony, Mallam Audu visited the family with many gifts. After the ceremony, he called her parents aside and told them his intention of marrying their daughter. They agreed since it was the tradition of the Northern part of the country. The arrangement was for him to marry her when she was 13 years older.

Aminat grew up to love books and education , she was very brilliant and intelligent. Her dream of becoming a doctor got dashed when she got married at the age of 13 as planned. She became a child-bride. Her husband insisted she wouldn't step her foot in any school but his kitchen. 

 ![image](https://img.esteem.ws/9hmikn17ix.jpg)

Sade's mother died when she was four years old. Her father remarried a year after. Her step-mother beat her at the slightest provocation. She did all the house chores and cooked for the family. She told her father but he didn't care. Two years later, she was asleep when she felt sharp pain all over her body. Her step-mother cut her with a sharp razor blade because she forgot to sweep. She almost bled to death. The evil continued till she couldn't take it anymore and ran away from home.

 ![image](https://img.esteem.ws/9hmikn17ix.jpg)


<div class="pull-right"><center><img src="  ![image](https://img.esteem.ws/3i28ouxqas.jpg)" /><br/><em><a href="https://pixabay.com/en/face-eyes-no-question-harassment-1618921/">Pixabay CC0</a></em></center></div>

Sarah was 35 years old when her husband died. The husband's family stripped her off her husband's properties. She was left with three children to cater for. She sold some items she could get before the incidence to start groundnut business.

Later on, she got so sick. Her first daughter, Ada, took up the responsibility of the house. At age 8, she dropped out of school to hawk groundnuts. Months later, she was lured in by an older man and raped. She was molested till she got pregnant at an early age. She is currently a street prostitute fending for her siblings.

 ![image](https://img.esteem.ws/9hmikn17ix.jpg)

These and many more stories tell what young girls go through in our society today. Many of us thinks it will keep getting better but we are wrong, it is getting worse. My mother once told me her father never believed in girl education, he believed it was a waste of his money since she end up in the kitchen of her husband's house. If not for her elder brother, she would have been a drop out like million of girls and women roaming the street.

<center>**THE EVILS AGAINST THE GIRL-CHILD**</center>

* **Rape:** This is rampant nowadays. It kills a child emotionally, socially and physically. I recently heard of a 60 years old man raping a 2-months baby and I wish death upon the man. This is pure evil, he is not only a paedophile, he is worse than the devil.

* **Child Abuse:** This is another common evil. Step-mothers mutilating the body of their step-daughter or a woman beating her maid till she faint. This is terrible and can lead to physical and emotional trauma.

* **Child Trafficking:** Poverty is really a disease. Girls are promised a better future and later shipped outside the country to become prostitutes. Most of them are forced and threatened to work or risk death.

<div class="pull-left"><center><img src="  ![image](https://img.esteem.ws/pmwkgxq26d.jpg)" /><br/><em><a href="https://pixabay.com/en/wedding-flower-girl-dress-white-1861563/">Pixabay CC0</a></em></center></div>

* **Child Bride:** This is quite rampant in the Northern part of the country. As read from Aminat's story above, many young girls have been forced into marriage against their consents. Their dreams and aspirations die inside the marriage.

* **Genital Mutilation:** This is also known as female circumcision, some parts of the genital of the girl- child are removed. This is affecting most women in their marriage.

<center>**WHAT TO DO TO FIGHT THIS**</center>

* **Government should be involved:** The government should look into this and help fight this evil acts. They have the power to make laws to protect them and also to fight cases related to these.

* **Foundations/N.G.O:** There are so many foundations and/or Non-governmental organizations that are fighting this. They need the support of the public. Such foundation is @girlsfoundation, their vision and aim have made it clear they are here to educate, help and empower the girl child.

* **Individual Awareness:** Through seminars and workshops, each person should know more about these evils. The fight starts with you and I. If we can't fight it from within, others cannot be involved.

* **Financial Support:** Poverty and illiteracy are two major problems that aid these evils. Most tradition are still effect of illiteracy. Child-marriage that still happen in the North is mainly due to Poverty, the parents rather collect the dowry than use their money to finance the upkeep of the girl-child. Financial support will go a long way to fight these. Not only financial support, emotional, physical, moral, academic, physical and spiritual supports will help these girls.

**CONCLUSION**

It is our collective effort to encourage, empower and educate the girl-child. Girls are delicate and fragile, we must treat them like queens instead of putting them through hardships and hurts. Let us collectively fight against rape, domestic violence and evil against the girl-child. They have the right to proper education. They have a say in the economy not only in the kitchen. 

Thank you for reading this piece.

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<center>**@imbigdee writes**</center>