Breaking Barriers: A New Vision for Girls
With many enlightened female celebrities currently ruling the world in various fields and professions, the world is getting ready to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child, 2024 on October 11.
The theme “Girls’ Vision for the Future” symbolizes a world where girls are confidently present on every platform, unimpeded by obstacles.
With girls at the center of welfare issues worldwide, there will be an inclusive social structure ensuring a peaceful environment without aggression.
Years of mountainous struggles without any concrete result
Though pictures are greener in the books, reality is grimmer than mere imagination.
I still express the existence of numerous rules, laws, regulations, ethical guidelines, and cultural legacies, yet the world fails to provide girls with a safe space free from fear.
Right from the inception to their entire life, girls are living their lives as if they need validation every second even for their bare minimum requirements, and any antagonism is seen as a rebellious step that is always under social scrutiny with a keen eye to control the entire female race.
Too many walls, too many troughs-
The world’s constant pursuit of progress has overlooked the fundamental rights of the women’s community despite remarkable technological advancements.
The question of upliftment of the lives of girls and women in society irrespective of the region is becoming worse with time, though somewhere women are flourishing and competing with their male counterparts with equal opportunities and facilities.
This hardest truth is going to destroy the entire race, no doubt.
“Big promises, dreams and screams evaporate after being discussed on social media platforms. However, they are inadequate, and the result is that we are still lagging in every way in providing a suitable world for girls.”
The societal trap and Stories of diminishing hopes
Tiring trials for ages have never been in tandem with a ‘call to action’ for the betterment of the girls in the upcoming generation. There are historical events with rebellious demonstrations from the women’s rights groups lawmakers were prompted to formulate laws in their favor, but despite that nothing goes right for the majority of women, lest I say, innocent girls as little as infants.
Girls are unknowingly subjected to several serious issues, unequal pay, racial injustice, deprivement of basic amenities like education, health, food, and proper sanitation, biased social treatments, insufficient political representation, human trafficking, sexual harassment, cyberbullying, and many more in the pipeline and the harshest truth is that there isn’t any remarkable improvement in the condition of millions of girls, it doesn’t matter whether they belong to upscale countries or an under-developed country like Nigeria.
During her recent concert, Shakira, the famous Colombian-American singer, walked off the stage after a fan attempted to film under her dress during her performance.
If this can happen to a successful woman, we can only imagine the difficulties that ordinary girls and women face.
Great and balanced capabilities, Nil credentials
With one leg struck in space and the other in washing cutlery in a modest kitchen, females everywhere are a spectrum of spectacular responsibility. Their multi-tasking abilities are often misinterpreted as trivial things.
They are often neglected even though the world relies on their shoulders too.
Young girls often suffer the most. They may have difficulty confiding in anyone about their suffering. Their pleas usually fall on deaf ears, and they may face harassment in every corner of their lives.
Recent UN data states that around 15 million adolescent girls aged 15-19 years have experienced forced sex and what is more horrifying is the fact that only 1% of them sought professional help against the crime committed against them.
In 2022, around 48800 women and girls worldwide were killed by their immediate partners or other family members, which means that on average more than 5 girls or women are facing femicide by someone well acquainted with them.
Expectation and Reality- A Mismatch Equation
Although we have written a lot, the suffering of girls still does not reduce and their destiny is not changing. Even after all these movements and strong laws, how many women have reached a better position, and how many died a silent death?
- If we have been oppressed to such an extent then who is to blame?
- If the existing laws are not effective enough then where would girls appeal for their sorry conditions?
- If the protectors are habitual offenders, what will be the future of the entire human race?
- If women who move ahead ignore the upliftment of other girls, then what is the point of such progress?
- If men continue to consider women as decorative dolls or objectify their existence, how will women and girls be able to make a path for themselves?
- If femicide and female feticide are not checked in society, what will be the future of humanity, isn’t it a man-made disaster knocking at our doors?
- If education is for every section of society, who is prohibiting girls from attending their regular education?
- If big companies keep the price of sanitary napkins so high, how will poor girls get access to sanitation facilities?
- What is the use of such development if women stop coming forward due to fear of sexual harassment?
- If there is domestic violence in your house, where can you find your solace, and what kind of inheritance are you going to pass on to the next generation?
- If we deprive women of their reproductive rights, will it not threaten our existence?
- If we do not take care of the nutrition of our daughters, will our future generations remain healthy?
- What is the point of all these sermons on humanity if we do not protect girls from becoming victims of human trafficking?
- Will the voices of women and girls remain unheard without proper political representation?
- With limited freedom to choose something for herself, how can a girl realize and utilize her potential for herself or society?
- Sexual atrocities against girls and women are at an alarming level nowadays. Isn’t it a threat to the idea of humanity?
- With technological advancements, the world is aiming higher than imagination now, but here too girls have restricted access to the digital world, isn’t it unfair for their talent and abilities?
Conclusion
The issue of girls’ safety with an eye on the betterment of their lives is a sensitive matter, and it matters to the entire race even to those who are habitual offenders of the laws, rules, and moral ethics.
“It’s not that the condition of girls is bad everywhere. The situation is changing with time. Our only concern is that the higher we rise, the more we become subject to unnecessary criticism and judgment, sometimes enough to break our confidence and self-reliance.”
