Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The First Lady, Aisha Buhari, has called for urgent action to protect the girl-child from abuses.
Through her verified Twitter handle @ashiambuhari, in commemoration of the International Day of the Girl-Child in Abuja, Mrs. Buhari urged parents to protect their children from all forms of violence and abuse.
The theme of the 2019 celebration was “Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable.”
She tweeted: “Today, I join millions of girls around the world to celebrate this year’s International Day of the Girl-child, the theme for this year is “Girl Force: Unscripted and Unstoppable.” I am happy to note the progress that has been made in the area of activism by girls to protect their gender.
“I want to state that more needs to be done especially to address gender-based violence which seems to be more pronounced recently. All hands must be on deck to achieve this.”
The day was first celebrated on October 11, 2012, by the United Nations.
The observation supports more opportunities for girls and increases awareness of gender inequality faced by girls worldwide based upon their gender.
The celebration of the day also “reflects the successful emergence of girls and young women as a distinct cohort in development policy, programming, campaigning, and research.