Nigerian Parents have been urged to create more time to supervise the activities of their children especially their daughters on the internet.
The Managing Director of the Standard Educational Book House, Mrs. Oluwakemi Ayodele made this known in Lagos during a Girl Child Summit held to celebrate the International Day of the Girl Child 2023.
Mrs. Ayodele expressed dissatisfaction that the internet which was supposed to give educational tips to the children is now used to circulate offensive images that mislead them.
She urged parents, teachers and the government to make the environment more conducive for the girls and encourage them to embrace the use of technology to acquire digital skills.
“The girls are being limited, they are not given the access to further their education. A lot of factors including, poverty, Dowry payment, child marriage and teen pregnancy hinder them from fulfilling their potentials, dreams and their aspirations. We all have a lot of work to do in ensuring that the challenges are curbed,” Mrs. Ayodele stated
She also called on the girls to leverage the power of social media to positively equip themselves urging them not to yield to intimidation.
Mrs. Ayodele said; “All our girls need to equip themselves. They need to have the right knowledge and exposure for them to climb the ladder of success. Parents should make sure that their children use the internet meaningfully and purposefully.”
One of the guest speakers, Ms. Adebimpe Alabi harped on the need to make the cyber space safe for the Girl Child.
Ms Alabi said; “Digital literacy is essential for all girls to bridge the divide we have between male and female. We should also realize that there is Cyber crime and bully. We all must see ourselves as stakeholders that need to address the issues of Cyber crime because there are abuseres online. We have to be intentional about it.”
Some of the girls also expressed their views calling on women to support their fellow women.
“Being a Girl Child is a powerful position, so give us more attention.
“Girls should always celebrate themselves, we have to stand together as female gender.”
“Women should always support women. This will encourage us to do more and also contribute our quotta the the development of our dear country,” they said.
This year’s celebration has its theme ‘Digital Generation: Our Generation.’
Mercy Chukwudiebere
