By Adama Makasuba
Child Fund, The Gambia has joined rest of the world to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child held under the banner – digital generation, aimed to help girls find training and education and help create young successful women and empower girls in fulfilling their human rights.
The day is celebrated annually on 11th October to highlight and address the needs and challenges which girls face throughout the globe.
Speaking at the celebration held at the Sir Dawda Conference Hall, Musukuta Komma-Bah, Child Fund Country Director, assured of her office commitment to continue advocating for the rights of children in the country.
“Don’t be afraid to speak your mind. Speak the truth let people know how you feel. If it’s important to you, then others must learn to accept, respect, or understand what you’re going through. No matter how big or small the issue, remember there is a solution to every problem. As a child-focused organization, our doors are open to you the children, your parents/guardians, and all stakeholders who care for the cause of children,” she said
“And I know that you the girls that gather here today are no exception as far as this unfortunate situation is concerned, given the proliferation of unverified content online. Aside to this, I also know that many of you may be going through some things that you feel you may not be able to handle, I know because I have been there. But believe me, you can rise above all the obstacles,” she added.
According to her, the theme recognizes the profound transformations that have taken place as many countries turned towards high-tech education to ensure continuity of learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and what this means for girls, who due to the gender digital divide are more likely than boys to be missing out on precious learning opportunities.
She cited that The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBOS) survey shows that there are over 3 million mobile phone subscribers in the Gambia, adding “please don’t be confused by the figure which is higher than the country’s population since one person can own 2 to 3 or even 4 mobile phones.”
“But has this large mobile phone numbers correspond with access to internet connectivity? The answer is no because internet access is expensive by Gambian standards.This is why Child Fund The Gambia launched a social media campaign last week creating the Twitter Hashtag: #OnlineSafetyForGirls as part of our activities commemorating this day. We also launched a hashtag on Facebook #ConnectivityAccessForAllGirls to advocate for girls to have access to digital devices and connectivity. You can connect through the hashtags and discuss online your safety and the need to access digital devices for your education and sharpen your tech skills.
This year’s event according to UNESCO, explores how to close gendered digital access and skills gaps, support safe online spaces, and leverage the power of technology to advance girls’ and women’s education, leadership and gender equality and ensure that girls are empowered to maximize their potential both online and offline,” she explained.