MONROVIA, Montserrado – The guest speaker at this year’s celebration of the International Day of the Girl Child has called for an end to violence and other forms of maltreatment against women and girls.

Speaking Tuesday at the Centennial Memorial Pavilion, where the national ceremony to celebrate the day was held, Latricia Wamah, a graduate of the Economic Empowerment of Adolescent Girls, said women and girls had suffered abuses and discrimination for too long in Liberia.

“Many years ago, women and girls had no right to education, to property, and had no right in society,” she said. “In other parts of the world, women and girls are abused and discriminated, even in my own country.”

She said women and girls have been discriminated against and poorly treated over centuries because of a belief that they lack the ability to contribute to change.

However, Wamah said the time has come for women and girls to be given a chance to change the world by contributing their knowledge and talents to development.

“We are strong, we are clever, we are creative, and we are talented,” she said. “Therefore, we can change the world, our country, our community, and our family. This is our time.”

She called on the government to craft and enforce policies to protect girls and empower women.

According to her, females, particularly young girls, feel annoyed about their poor treatment in society. She added, “We don’t want this to happen to us anymore nor [do] our children.”

She at the same time encouraged her male counterparts to join the campaign for the empowerment and protection of women and girls.

“Put yourselves in our shoes, men and boys,” she challenged the men in the audience. “How will you feel when you are left alone in the house with all of the work while I am out there learning? How will you feel when you are abused, beaten by your partner? How will you feel when all decisions are made in the home by one person without your input? How will you feel when you are discriminated [against] because of your condition? For us women and girls, we feel upset about this.”

The day of the International Day of the Girl Child was established on December 19, 2011 by the UN General Assembly.

It is meant to recognize the girl’s rights and the unique challenges face by girls everywhere around the world. The day also aims to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their basic human rights.

Babatunde Osotimehin, the executive director of the United Nations Population Fund, has said identifying and tackling the needs of the most marginalized girls is an important step toward promoting girls’ empowerment.

“This is particularly important for identifying and tackling the needs of the most marginalized girls – those about whom we often know the least. Fewer than 50 countries can provide data that are disaggregated by sex and age,” Osotimehin said.

He said the vast gaps in data exist in many areas, including poverty, intimate-partner violence, and adolescent deaths from pregnancy and childbirth complications, especially in the 10- to 14-year-old age range. As a result, the challenges many girls face remain unaddressed, and this valuable segment of society is repeatedly unable to realize its full potential.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Osotimehin said as stakeholders work together to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, we must acknowledge.

Meanwhile, the Female Journalists Association of Liberia has pledged its commitment to increase awareness about violence against Liberian women and girls. Its coordinator, Siatta Scott-Johnson, said her organization would work with media institutions to create a space for advocacy on the rights of girls.

“The aim of this to help reduce issues affecting women and girls,” she said.

Featured photo by European Commission/Anouk Delafortrie