GWI sensitises adolescent girls on social norms, expectations

In order to ensure that adolescent girls conform to social norms without limiting their potentials, the Girls’ World Initiative (GWI) has sensitised adolescent girls on self-development.

This, the initiative said, is to reaffirm ability of young girls against the society’s expectation and teach them to avoid social vices that are likely to truncate their dreams.

Founder of the Initiative, Oluwafemi Oladoyin, said the need for an urgent intervention is to ensure the proper growth of the girl-child in a morally decayed society where issues like rape, sexual molestation, lesbianism, drugs abuse, among others are rampant.

She added that these identified issues result in an imbalance of the girl child and on the long run have a toll on national development.

Speaking during the May edition of GWI outreach at the Community Grammar School, Gberigbe, Oladoyin said the passion to inculcate a better sense of esteem and resourcefulness in every girl child is her drive, hence, a monthly symposium for secondary school students and rural communities within Lagos State has been adopted and scheduled to run through the year.

On the theme of the outreach, tagged: “I am Priceless 2018”, she advised the girls to discover their purpose in life and not be defined by what the society can offer, adding that, there lies in every woman an embodiment of greatness.

The young graduate of English from Ekiti State University (EKSU) noted that about 70 students from previous outreaches have shared sensitive issues and asked bothering questions which were properly handled by facilitators since inception of the outreach.

In her words: “During the January outreach, a young girl of about 15 years old related how her step-father had been sexually assaulting her for about six years with the knowledge of her mother.

We were able to manage the situation, alongside other girls in similar situations. They have been mentored, rehabilitated and put in care of referral groups.

“It saddens my heart when I imagine what some of these girls go through. Questions ranging from issues relating to rape, incest, threats from cult boys, sexual molestation, wrong relationships, have been the trend and it baffles me how they will turn out in the society if they do not get help now.

“I am optimistic that if every young girl is infused with upright, moral and proper lectures from wee ages, she would be able to develop the appropriate belief system which will enrich her view of life. It is of common knowledge that the girl child is vulnerable to issues of rape, unhealthy relationships, inadequate educational support system and others.”

As part of the initiative’s drive to alleviate poverty and improve girls’ standard of living, Oladoyin said distribution of free sanitary towels is part of each outreach, as one out of every 10 girls miss out in school due to lack of sanitary towels for their menstrual cycle.

Calling on private and public stakeholders to support the initiative through financial aids and grants, she said the year’s target is to reach young girls, while plans for boys are ongoing.