African Girls Demand Action From Leaders

Over 100 girls from West and Central Africa have come together to organise a summit to mark the International Day of the Girl in Dakar, Senegal.

The aim of the summit is to demand action from their leaders.

Speaking at the summit, Isabel from Equatorial Guinea said, “We want to be taken into account when our history is written, because our voices are important.”

Addressing regional leaders, the girls demanded that governments and partners stop marginalising their voices, emphasising that they want to be present when decisions affecting them are made. The girls stressed that they are the best (persons) to speak about their own realities than others.

“I imagine a place where girls can be who they are. I imagine a place where every girl can be respected and loved,” Isabel added.

The summit helped the girls work together to develop a declaration calling on governments, regional bodies, and international partners to put girls’ voices at the centre of decision-making and create safe spaces to break taboos and allow free expression, as well as train professionals to respond to girls’ realities; and monitor laws and programmes to ensure that rights move from paper to practice.

The girls called for urgent measures to end discrimination and violence, and to secure their rights to education, health, protection and participation.

The West and Central Africa Girls’ Summit marks a turning point because, adolescent girls from across the region have set their own agenda for change and demand that leaders listen and keep their promises.

By Florence Asamoah Adom