By Susan Otuoma
Madam President. I live for the day these two words will be used in reference to Kenya’s President. Although that day may not even be on the horizon, it is heartening to note that three African countries have already done what USA hasn’t and elected female Heads of State. Liberia, Malawi and Mauritius elected President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President Joyce Banda and President Ameenah Gurib-Fakim. In rising to the highest political office, these three African ladies cleared the presidential path for millions of African women. However, pathways for success for the African girl remain riddled with hurdles.
That is why on this International Day of the Girl which is observed every year on October 11, we must commit to clearing the hurdles that stand in the pathways of progress for African girls.
Tragically, one of the most common hurdles is cultural. Many cultures across Africa are still retrogressive towards girls. On this front, Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) takes the lead.
The World Health Organization estimates that ‘200 million girls and women alive today have undergone female genital mutilation in the countries where the practice is concentrated. Furthermore, there are an estimated 3 million girls at risk of undergoing female genital mutilation every year.’ WHO further notes that the highest percentage of FGM is sadly in Africa. The African Union should therefore be on the forefront of championing eradication of FGM because it is destroying the lives of innocent African girls and standing in the way of their holistic progress. National governments should equally enact and enforce laws that root out FGM from our society.
Another example of a cultural practice that is completely harmful to African girls is the ‘money woman marriage’ in Nigeria’s Becheve community. Found in Obanliku Local Government in Cross River State, this Community allows the treatment of young girls as a form of currency for paying debts. The Becheve Community lives in mountainous region of the State and is made up of 17 sister tribes. All these tribes collectively engage in the traditional practice of giving out young girls as money wives that settle debts.
All through their sham marriages, they are treated as commodities. This should not be happening in Africa at this time and age. Culture is dynamic and should change with times without shedding core progressive principles. Mahatma Gandhi rightfully said that ‘a nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of its people.’ It is therefore up to ‘we the people’ to drive culture in the right direction.
There are also severe barriers standing in the way of young girls when they start transitioning into young women. Menstrual health across Africa is in dire straits. UNESCO reports that due to menstrual issues, more than 49 million girls are out of primary and secondary school in sub-Saharan Africa, with 31 million of them out of secondary education. UNESCO explains that this is because 1 in 10 African adolescent girls miss school during menses and eventually drop out because of menstruation-related issues such as the inaccessibility of affordable sanitary protection, the social taboos related to menstruation and the culture of silence that surrounds it.
Right here in Kenya, a study commissioned by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation found out that, ‘significant barriers to high-quality menstrual hygiene management (MHM) persist across Kenya and remain a particular challenge for low-income women and girls. 65% of women and girls in Kenya are unable to afford sanitary pads.’ This should be declared a national disaster. Indeed, we might be under the illusion that the girl child in this country is doing very well when in fact she is largely suffering due to such silent issues. Monthly periods should not be a monthly curse to our girls. Rather, they should be a monthly reminder that they are special and possess unique reproductive capabilities.
Back to Governance, we must acknowledge the fact that even though Kenya is yet to elect a female president, a lot of progress has been made. For the first time in our history, women were elected to serve as governors and senators. These female Senators and Governors make it easier of Kenyan girls to believe that they too, can rise to these lofty political positions.
Young girls also derive encouragement from the fact that in the 2017 elections, 29 percent more women ran for office than in the previous election. Consequently, women now hold 172 of the 1,883 elected seats in Kenya, up from the 145 that served in the last electoral cycle. But there are still lingering hurdles to be cleared for our young girls since women account for only 23 percent of the National Assembly and Senate. This falls below the one-third constitutional requirement. This must be corrected with the urgency that it deserves.
I will conclude with a quote from Hillary Clinton, the woman who almost became America’s first female President, ‘to all the little girls who are watching, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams.’
On this day international day of the girl, let us commit to clearing hurdles that stand in the pathways of our young African girls.
