 Welcome to the Advocate, where topical issues are discussed in a new hoots bar manner. In other words, we call it speed by its name. My Advocacy today is on the empowerment of the girl child. Bola AI is demystifying the ideology of feminism. Victor talks on entrepreneurship, education and finally, the lack of will be talking on the power of leaders of technology. Sit back, the panelists are here to present your Sunday do's of provoking thoughts with new hoots bar after this break. The Girl Child Every 11th of October, the world commemorates the girl child irrespective of their various cultures, race or background. The world is home to more than 1.1 billion girls under age 18 who are poised to become the largest generation of female leaders, entrepreneurs and change makers the world has ever seen. Girls are breaking boundaries and barriers posed by the stereotypes of exclusion including those directed at children with disabilities and those living in marginalized communities. As entrepreneurs, innovators and initiators of global movement girls are creating worlds that is relevant for them and the future generations. Achieving gender equality and women's empowerment is integral to each of the 17 sustainable development goals only by ensuring the rights of women and girls across all the goals. We get to justice and inclusion, economies that work for all and sustaining our shared environment now and for future generations. The theme for the 2020 International Day of the Girl Child digital generation are generation emphasizes the importance of adequate technological exposure of girls to the extent digital realities of the world. Why the pandemic has accelerated digital platforms from learning, earning and connecting? Some 2.2 billion people below the age of 25 still do not have internet access at home. Girls are more likely to be cut off. The gender gap for global internet users grew from 11% in 2013 to 17% in 2019. In the world's least developed countries it hovers around 43%. But the gender digital divide is about more than connectivity. Girls are also less likely than boys to use their own devices and gain access to tech related skills and jobs. Only by addressing the inequality and exclusion that span geographies and generations can we usher in a digital revolution for all. With all. In order to address the gender divide in digital technical skills from home perspective to global view the following should be put into consideration proper and adequate education. When you educate a boy, you educate an individual but when you educate a girl, you educate a generation. Safe environment for girl child to thrive beyond the maintenance of gender prejudice and gender based violence. Intentional development for secured future the girl child is a child in need of adequate nurturing and not a bride. Enhancing security and protection of both the girl child and her neighbor. Well this month of next week we are going to have on Monday the day of the girl child, international day of the girl child. According to what I just read the team is on digital generation, our generation and going to what you have in mind about the recent happened what do you think about this the systematic inclusion of women or girls especially with the recent development from Nigeria where they said persons below the age of 18 will not get access to same. So I wonder what will happen to both boys and girls in the university that are sitting and above. I think the old girls inclusion, feminism it has been on the rise since like the past years and it's still on the rise and I think we should keep encouraging it because it has allowed more girls to come out to take their rightful places in positions to get like a seat at the table in some rooms that they thought they could not enter so I just think like this is a very interesting topic and it's coming from a male speaker to bring it down it's very interesting We are looking forward to the 11th of October we are again in all women will come in unison to speak again about our rights as girls, as women and as females around the world Alright thank you you want to go Bola ladies first Victor hope you don't mind Well my opinion is that women has been marginalised for too long and the digital generation is a very good one because girls around the world in this age many women they can't have access to simple things as technology as a phone some girls don't have access even if they do they are not well educated enough to access opportunities so this topic the girl child is a very unique one and it will address so many social issues for certain women Thank you I think in my own opinion right I remember a course I took in school it was educational foundation as EFC so educational foundation or something EFC 101 so there is a part in that that says the boys went to school and the girls stayed at home so I think there is a fundamental mental programming around whether ladies are supposed to go to school so why boys going to school and the girls staying at home to cook in the kitchen so I see a lot of fights feminism which is good I see a lot of gender equality and all of those things which is pretty much good however we need to first of all deal with the mental programming I mean when you talk to an average Nigerian man there is a certain mentality they have about women so I think it begins I think I ask someone a question that if we are advocating for girl child education and trying to like if I said get them at the table who is changing that flawed mindset and that flawed mentality in the minds of the boys so as we are educating the girls we need to also include the boys because at the end of the day it's no man is an island everybody is going to work together so for me I think this whole thing is about it's a mental issue let's reorient our mindset around giving everybody equal opportunities to really shine and grow well thank you very much Victor what you said is actually true because the mind is the beginning of everything we need to debug our mindset and reorientate ourselves there is a particular state in Nigeria I would not mention the states in the north where at first they said a girl should not have access to a smartphone and then they have their own sort of religious police and then later they come up they want to monitor what they are going to do with their phones or something and then we are talking about this era of Facebook, Instagram and people are there connecting to different part of the world you can be in your room and take a course online you can actually interact with a prospective business partner or someone of similar interest in any part of the world if you exclude the girl child it makes no meaning and then here you are the government saying no we are not going to allow under 18 to have access to SIM card so I asked myself what will happen to 16 year old in the university they need it and then if you would not allow under 18 to have access to SIM card why should you allow under 10 or even under 12 to even get married so we need to rework ourselves because the girls and the boys are the future of the country or the nation when you conduct that analysis between line up men I will go back to Nigeria because it is really deep even Africa so a man just necessarily believes that a woman is lesser so that mindset has to be dealt with first does not go back to like our religious belief does not include like the religion itself well we don't want to go to that table if you are going back to like Africans believe that the woman is beneath the man does not like you trace it back to our religion you trace it back to God bringing out the woman from the rib and then Africans interpreting it to be the woman being a part of the man so she should be submissive to the man so if we are going to that direction then we are going to be including our religious belief our traditions and this and so that's another topic I think we are talking about equal opportunities so why do you think that in class the boy is made the class captain and the girl the assistant class captain why are girls always assistant head why are they always assistants if they qualify to become the head of the school maybe the head of the class or the class captain the head of course in universities why is the course rep almost always guys assistant course reps are ladies so these are things we need to really deal with I think it also shows itself in the tech world today where you have two co-founders the main leader is the guy and then the co-founder is the it's the female and what they say is because men are emotional so when we want to make decision or take important decision we are too emotional to take it the men are the logical one that's their reasoning let me show you I actually conducted the research and because lately I'm interested in financial trading and you know you need in financial trading you need to use your laptop or basically a computer with a desktop or laptop now studies have shown that women there are fewer women that participate in financial trading these few women globally they do better than the men so being good at any form of career or being technically inclined has no business with gender it's important to note that girls and women should be giving access to necessary education technical skills and career opportunity for them to grow and also create and make the world a sustainable place 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