Our investment in the girl child may be in vain if we don’t engage men - Wiaga Queen mother 

Pognab Pauline Atenalie Azenab, the Queen mother of the Wiaga Traditional area in the Builsa North Municipality in the Upper East Region, has called on gender-focused organisations to consider engaging boys and men to understand the plight of the girl-child.

She said the advocacy for girls to abstain from sex, which could ruin their future, maybe in vain if boys and men were not engaged to appreciate the plight of the girl child and help them develop their full potential.

“Our advocacy for the girl child is crucial because of the already existing societal barriers, but doing so without involving boys and men is problematic and therefore may defeat our advocacy in question since girls do not impregnate themselves,” she added.

The Queen mother said this in an interview with the Ghana News Agency as part of marking this year's International Women's Day.

She emphasized that the attention of most gender-focused organisations had been so much on the girl child in recent times, leaving the boys and men, who sometimes were the perpetrators of the things they were advocating against.

Ponab Azenab also underscored the need for girls to study hard and speak about issues rather than consider themselves as the weaker of the sexes. 

“Girls must learn hard to let their presence be felt in the midst of boys and men by speaking to issues. I feel disappointed when I see young ladies in the midst of men and they want someone to lead, and they are those pointing at men instead of their colleagues if they feel they can't do it themselves,” she stated. 

That, she said, was to some extent looking down on themselves as women and urged girls to build their self-worth by taking their education seriously, understanding government policies and speaking to the issues affecting them and the larger society.

She called on young ladies to project themselves, adding that empowerment and confidence start at the individual level.

GNA