CI-NEWS

VISION Cameroon beefs up sexual and female reproductive rights at World Day of Girl Child.

2019-10-14

No: 451

VISION Cameroon beefs up sexual and female reproductive rights at World Day of Girl Child.

By Etoh Anzah George in Bamenda.

Youths converged on the conference hall of the Cameroon Baptist Convention (CBC) to get first-hand knowledge on sexual and female reproductive rights in the wake of the upsurge of violence against the girl child as the Anglophone crisis degenerated.

The occasion was the celebration of World Day of the Girl Child.

Advocacy for the rights of the girl child and the non proliferation of gender based violence acts have since dominated 11 October, the date set aside by the UN to celebrate and raise awareness.

Its coordinator,19-year-old Etoh Anzah Herbert says "we actually have tons of girls who remain uneducated in the crisis-hit North West and South West regions owing to the outbreak of the malaise. Our aim therefore is to bring young girls together and school them on the value and necessity of education in a growing society such as ours and how she impacts her society and on a broad based concept we can’t talk of emergence without the girl child. Thus to have the goal streamlined to reach every one and shun marginalisation we thus indulged in this".

The day was celebrated under the theme "investing in the education of the girl child for an equitable and sustainable emergence" with the ministry of women’s empowerment and the family as coordinator.

Reacting to lessons learnt, Asheri Gohla Yuyen, a participant noted:

"I have been able to get knowledge on the development of the girl child and our role in society, proper health and self hygiene, the care of body parts and the causes and prevalence of sexually transmissible diseases and most especially we live in a society where young girls don’t know and place little value for themselves".

She further insisted: "Most ladies stay home, get abused by men because they have no knowledge on themselves. As such they plunge into activities that hamper their future. With the knowledge grasped I intend to educate my peers many of whom are now resident in Bamenda owing to the crisis. I believe advocacy will help enlighten them".

Commenting on the global theme, Choh Taku Remylene told The Horizon: "My education is my investment and my investment is my future. It further elucidates my education is what will make me be who and what I want to be."

He saluted the efforts of the regional delegation for Women’s Empowerment through its delegate whose financial assistance remained a morale booster to their success.

VISION Cameroon is an association of conscripts trained by the National Civic Service Agency for Participation in Development which cuts through 3 spheres - environmental development, human development and cultural aspects. He said through it “ we advocate for the rights of the girl child and amongst many we choose education further understanding that it is a fundamental right stated by the United Nations “.

On the ground covered, Choh admitted: "Indeed it has not been easy but in life if you fail to try then you have missed it completely.”

On the success rate, the coordinator hinted: "So many were excited to be here but owing to an outpour of rain we could rally 45 on an initial 60 man scale expectation".

The girls ranging from 15-21 benefitted from expertise knowledge from resource persons from the regional delegation of women’s empowerment, Center for Advocacy for Gender Equality (CAGAED), Regional Hospital Bamenda, and other motivational videos to boost their advocacy.

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VISION Cameroon beefs up sexual and female reproductive rights at World Day of Girl Child.