Girls are leaders, change makers and agents of hope.
In Nigeria, including Anambra State, many girls are still forced into harsh realities. Some become housemaids, overworked and underpaid. Others hawk in the streets during school hours, sacrificing learning and exposing themselves to danger. Some are trafficked or lured into exploitation within Nigeria or abroad. The Ministry of Women Affairs, in collaboration with NAPTIP and NIDCOM, has rescued and rehabilitated girls, yet the need remains vast.
The Ntasi Sexual Assault and Referral Centre at Enugwu-Ukwu General Hospital provides survivors with medical care, counselling and legal support. But many girls raped by relatives or strangers suffer in silence, confronting shame, stigma, depression and despair. These traumas can derail even their best hopes for education, work or trust in the future.
Justice is progressing. Anambra state has established an online Sexual Offenders Register, already listing over one hundred and thirty offenders. Steps are also being taken to institutionalize a physical register. The Administration of Criminal Justice Law developed with the RoLAC programme, alongside the VAPP Law, Child Rights Law and Disability Rights Law, give legal weight to accountability. Still, laws must be matched by enforcement, data centralisation and accessible support for survivors.
Menstrual hygiene remains a barrier as many girls still skip school during their periods due to lack of pads or safe facilities. These avoidable gaps push some toward early dropout. That is why the wife of Anambra State Governor Dr Nonye Soludo should be commended for establishing and stocking pad banks in various schools through her Healthy Living Initiative.
Again, early marriage is still practiced, especially in riverine and rural areas, where girls are married off at very early age when they are still not psychologically and physically ready for family responsibilities.
Nationally, about forty-one point five per cent of girls marry before eighteen.  In these settings, girls are seen as second fiddles; preference often goes to sons.
These attitudes harm girls’ self-esteem and mental health, especially when they are already taking care of siblings or supporting family finances. Because they often lack skills training, once married they lack a base for independent survival or income.
Ending violence and building hope for girls is more than a slogan, it demands action. When survivors are heard and supported; when justice is real; when girls remain in school with dignity and skills; when early marriage is no longer tolerated, then we honour who these girls are and the change they can lead.
IFEYINWA UNACHUKWU
